Hierarchies of knowers and knowledges: exploring the potential of academic practitioner collaborations in tackling knowledge inequalities

In this article, we examine why academics and practitioners researching inequalities choose to collaborate and to what extent such collaborations have the potential to address knowledge inequalities in the research process. We maintain that the mere act of collaboration does not inherently lead to the tackling of knowledge inequalities and that the motivations for collaboration matter. We argue that although in single collaborations partners can create equitable relationships where the knowledge of both academic and practitioner partners are valued, transforming the dominant epistemological hierarchies within academia and policymaking will require time and structural change. We end by considering how such change will be difficult to achieve but is not impossible.