Contingent Knowledge, Contested Trust: Participatory Research on Marginalization in German Universities
In recent years, German universities have shown increasing institutional interest in collecting anti-discrimination and diversity data to assess representation and identify potential structural barriers to inclusion. In Germany to date, such data have largely been collected along the dimensions of binary gender and migration background. Data on other dimensions of identity and inequality, such as race, disability, or sexual orientation, remain limited. Due to the sensitivity of these data, community organizations have called for participatory approaches to their collection.
This article reflects on the participatory development of a survey on marginalization in academia, conducted within academic structures, with particular attention to how trust and mistrust among both community members and researchers shaped the process. It examines challenges that emerged during the research process in light of approaches to knowledge production that emphasize reflexivity and processual dynamics, drawing on internal documentation such as emails, notes, and meeting records.
Grounded in a theoretical perspective that highlights the contingency of knowledge production, the analysis traces how participatory processes – and the trust relations they entail – shape research outcomes under institutional constraints. By synthesizing these insights into a concept of epistemic contingency, the talk proposes a cyclical model of knowledge production that moves beyond strictly positivist assumptions and incorporates participatory elements, including the ongoing negotiation of trust between actors.
The analysis shows that trust and mistrust are central components of the process, operating in multiple directions: individuals from marginalized groups may express skepticism toward institutions, while researchers may also question the role and input of community-based actors. These reciprocal dynamics influence participation, data interpretation, and the stabilization of findings, thereby shaping the resulting body of knowledge on marginalization. Overall, the findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how trust relations structure participatory research processes within institutional settings and affect empirical outcomes.