Concerned with traditional power imbalances between researchers and participants, contemporary social science has begun using collaborative research as an empowering methodology that involves participants in key decisions. Collaborative research is a potentially revolutionary method for studying people and their cultures, but does it work in practice? Staging Strife looks at the limits of this methodology by examining a politically charged theatre performance undertaken with a group of Roma women in Poland.

Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston is associate professor in the Department of Theatre, Dance & Performance at York University and the author of Staging Strife: Lessons from Performing Ethnography with Polish Roma Women.

Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston's profile page

"Staging Strife is a serious advance in state-of-the-art ethnography. Much is made these days about reflexivity, but few authors actually go out and do it - at least they do not do it so honestly and self critically with real life examples. This text is a magnificent exception. I cannot commend the author highly enough for trying all of this and skilfully writing about her experience." Peter Stephenson, Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria

"Although perfomative approaches have played an important role in anthropology for a long time, I consider the approach of Staging Strife novel because it starts with collaboration - and not just as lip-service - and because a theatre production was the ultimate goal of the author’s project. The ultimate ‘failure’ of the production presents an interesting case study, since we usually do not hear much about the limits of collaboration. I particularly appreciate Kazubowski-Houston’s honest assessment in the end." Petra Rethmann, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University