Making a feminist impact: mobilising knowledge through scholarly activism

Abstract

PurposeThis article reflects on our joint experiences co-creating impact through a project in knowledge mobilisation – a website that disseminated resources and facilitated developmental activities for scholar-activists. We examine this project from the perspectives of the first author who created and ran the website and the second author who participated as a community member from the project’s launch.Design/methodology/approachThe website attracted a scholarly activist community primarily comprising former and current women academics, who collaboratively informed the first author’s creation of articles, newsletters and workshops, that sought to develop individual and institutional capacities for feminist leadership.FindingsThis project in co-creating impact revealed the yearning and potential academics had for support and belonging. They were drawn to the website because many struggled with overwork, burnout and violence within a system that they did not feel was built for them. They strove to build a community around the website and its associated activities and resources so that they could fill the perceived gaps and heal the felt harms of their institutions.Originality/valueOur reflections consider the different ways impact may be collaboratively generated through knowledge mobilisation in community, including how feminist redefinitions of impact may be designed and demonstrated in future projects. At the same time, we also critically examine the limitations of attempting to redress institutional issues as individuals without formal authority in those institutions.