Diversifying Samples, Structures, and Science
At Inak, we see our work as a deviation from the established models for doing science. We take diversity seriously and disrupt the traditional model of academic research in psychology to try a more equitable, accessible, and inclusive approach to science. We do this at three levels:
1. Researchers: We have often come across discussions about diversity in the behavioral sciences where it is taken for granted that a select group of researchers from a select group of institutions will be doing the thinking, the theorizing, and the testing, assuming that diversity is only needed in “whom we study”. Inak disrupts this model by forming a group of researchers who themselves do not fit the select group of researchers on the traditional model. We are a group of researchers with personal, professional, and cultural backgrounds that place us outside the traditional “VIP” scientists club. We let our experiences with war, refugee camps, immigration, sanctions, censorship, religion, poverty, languages, and navigating scarcity to inform our research questions about the human experience. Our “divergent” experiences make for “divergent” ways of thinking and doing science.
2. Research Incentive Structures: We have been doing research and publishing outside of the traditional incentive model. That is, none of us is doing this research to fulfill any institutional or program requirements. We have been doing research because we are curious, love asking questions, and enjoy the process of figuring out answers through research and data. Inak is not affiliated with any traditional research institution or university. We do this research independently and in collaboration with local scholars and communities! We hope that the way we do research serves as an example of a more equitable and accessible path to knowledge production than the traditional academic model with all its barriers and limitations.
3. Research Samples: The diversity in our research team means that we also have ties to research samples that are not typically represented in US- and English-centric behavioral sciences research. We have conducted research outside of the US, informed by our research questions, and plan to focus on the Persian-speaking world.