Peer research, power and ethics: Navigating participatory research in an Africa-focused mobilities study before and during Covid-19

This paper reflects on the transformative potential of a peer research project that was concerned with women’s access to travel in low-income neighbourhoods in three African cities – Abuja, Cape Town and Tunis. For the young unemployed women who partnered in this project from 2019 to 2022, peer research offered an opportunity to grow confidence, generate income, manage emotions and build respect in their communities, which was valuable during Covid-19 lockdowns. For the professional research teams, peer research interactions supported collection of high-quality, nuanced data built round insider understanding, empathy and sensitivity; and with the onset of the pandemic, peer research has enabled the study to continue in neighbourhoods where deepening precarity and security issues make outsider access particularly difficult. This is not to discount ethical issues, not least evident power differentials across the diverse actors involved in the project, spanning age, gender, expertise and wealth.