Engagement as scholarship: Food justice in practice

Abstract

The following discussion summarizes Our Kitchen Table's (OKT) food justice project and how I used research methodology to support their community capacity building efforts toward systems change. I also compared and contrasted the work of OKT with that of other food security initiatives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Time spent doing fieldwork with OKT led me to the conclusion that research should prioritize supporting the implementation of community-driven solutions. Otherwise, similar to organizations with a top-down focus, those with ties to the academy, often predictably impose an outside agenda. I explain how this occurrence can be avoided through the use of OKT's preferred method for interacting with researchers, what is referred to as a community-owned and managed research (COMR) model. Further related discussion highlights the importance of reciprocity, restructuring tenure requirements to support engagement as scholarship, and ensuring the relevance of anthropology as a discipline.