Underwater photo showing a deep sea diver looking at pink and green coral reef.

Inclusive stakeholder engagement with marginalised communities in the Global South

Organisations working with marginalised communities tend to employ mainstream engagement practices that position stakeholders as passive recipients of pre-determined policies and interventions. Our research challenges conventional engagement models by promoting participatory, creative, dialogical approaches that empower marginalised stakeholders and support transformative changes.

Duration: December 2020 - ongoing

Funder:

UKRI Global Challenge Research Fund, ESRC Impact Accelerator Account, Nottingham University Business School Strategic Fund.

Key people:

Dr Lara Bianchi (Principal investigator)
Dr Subhan Ullah
Professor Mihaela Kelemen

Research summary

Background:

Despite decades of research into the question of how, when and why organisations engage with their various stakeholders, surprisingly little attention has been paid to marginalised groups including indigenous women who live and work in post conflict societies.

Our research activities respond to this challenge by analysing the intersection between stakeholder marginalisation and meaningful engagement in the Global South. We showcase creative ways in which local community engagers have created safe spaces of engagement in the Philippines and Pakistan which give voice and agency to marginalised women.

Drawing on the lived experience of these women, we unpack the meanings of marginalisation and challenge consensus-based approaches to stakeholder engagement that tend to objectify participants: our creative methods of stakeholder engagement that build on a Cultural Animation methodology amplify the voice and agency of the participants.