The Bukavu Series

They are qualified, experienced, motivated, academically accomplished. They
work tirelessly, collecting invaluable data in the field under conditions that
are always challenging, and at times dangerous. And yet, their voices are
unheard, and their names go unacknowledged in published research.
Such is the lot of far too many research assistants from the Global South –
people upon whose work an entire industry of knowledge production has been
built. They are shut out of discussions on project design and left in the dark
about the modalities of research funding. Later, the results of their research
are published in journals to which they often have no access.
Much of this is due to a certain omertà surrounding power imbalances, as well
as research assistants' working conditions, financial difficulties,
psychological traumas, and vulnerabilities. It also stems from the persistence
of colonial mentalities in the research world – within universities,
governments, foundations, aid institutions, and NGO’s.
The Bukavu Series is a vibrant blog series about the experiences of research
assistants in the Global South. Driven primarily by these silent voices, the
series yields a mosaic depiction of fieldwork that mixes humor, realism, and
incisive critique. This book offers a unique entry point into a critical
debate, leading us toward concrete reforms, and setting us on the course
toward a decolonisation of research.