PARC

PARC seeks to act as: A connector of people and constituencies within Bristol University, the continent and globally who are invested in the generation and use of knowledge to accomplish Africa’s priority agendas, and a catalyst and forum for interdisciplinary inquiry, practice and learning predicated on mutual respect and inclusion. Our work spans four focus areas: 1. Inquiry and thought-leadership on transforming research cooperation; 2. Capstone programmes of research and policy engagement; 3. Mutual knowledge sharing and capacity strengthening; 4. Community of interest. Our point of departure is a recognition of the historically-rooted inequalities in the international research ecosystem and enduring power and epistemic imbalances in much global North – Africa academic collaboration and partnerships. These inequities have imposed limitations not only on African research institutions and actors but also, as importantly, on the relevance and use of generated knowledge for innovation and positive social and economic change. In short, the imbalances have harmed Africa’s pursuit of its own development objectives. The need for a systemic shift through which African institutions, constituencies, interests and terms take their rightful place in knowledge production globally, and in and for the continent is PARC’s core concern. Our mission is to help envision, model and champion a different mode of doing research with Africa that advances such a transformation. Our quest reflects the University of Bristol’s wider culture of social responsibility, alternative thinking and activism and draws on its vibrant work on tackling the challenge of decolonisation. The success of our work will be derived from how well we are able to frame a transformed approach to Africa research and partnership, and promote its wide adoption and application in practice.