ABOUT - NATURE OF THE COLLABORATION

"Working in the relationships between disciplines, fields of practice, institutional capacities and competencies...is not primarily an intellectual space, but a physical, existential space that is in between all those things we know. The space in which we are trying to do scholarship is filled with haunting ambiguities and confusions in which hope and horror are intermingled..." - Gary Gunderson, 2003

A Collaborative Movement

Such complex and integrative work cannot be owned by one particular group, and therefore requires a deliberate collaborative process. IRHAP seeks to continue ARHAP’s strongly collaborative ethos, research and management practice, the foundation of its contributions.

IRHAP is by nature an interdisciplinary, international and intercultural research collaborative. It incorporates scholars, practitioners and intellectuals from a broad range of institutions (including universities from different continents, funding organisations, health organisations, religious entities, and the like). The scholars represent disciplines such as theology, the sociology of religion, public health economics, sociology, medicine, neurology, and psychology (to name only a few), but the common interest is in learning more about the intersection of religion and public health.

Individuals become 'IRHAPians' by way of their own interest and increased engagement with the collaborative. There is no one single 'IRHAP theory' - but rather a collaborative network where a range of different interests and ideas come together

Certain that isolated or competitive work is not the way forward, we expect IRHAP to hold and nurture its links to all of its friends and supporters, as well as all those who share similar goals.

To give effect to this in the best possible way, while relocating the IRHAP Hub to the SPHFM at UCT towards the end of 2011 (which gives it more of an institutional identity, and where Prof Lucy Gilson brings a stronger focus on health policy and systems), two collaborative mechanisms are being put in place: 1) an International Advisory Board of around 30 members; and 2) the designation of a pool of partners who are critically engaged in research and work as IRHAP Associates.

Partnership with Methodist le Bonheur Healthcare establishes the new Research Director post taken up by Dr Jill Olivier since the end of 2011. This support not only guarantees the work for at least three years, but is overtly and directly intended to support IRHAP’s collaborative role as one international node of work on the interface of religion and public health.

Interdisciplinary and Complexity ... by Nature and Intent

Importantly, IRHAP continues deliberately to sit at the intersection of different disciplines and 'languages' and also between the sometimes different interests of those engaged in research, training and service provision (also between religious leaders, public health professionals, policy makers, NGOs, or communities). The challenge is to forge shared language, shared understanding, common ground, and interdisciplinary strategies.

This, both theoretically and practically, demands engagement with issues of 'complexity'.

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"…the broad reach of ARHAP’s agenda, one that may be seen as utopian on the one hand, but that also functions in anticipatory fashion to direct our work as it expands, deepens, draws in a wider range of disciplines and partners, and encompasses more of the complexity we are certain resides in the phenomena we seek to understand. The development work that this project has involved, the building of collaborative relationships across intellectual and geographical boundaries, and the lure of exploring various research options and methods, also hides a danger to the originating vision of ARHAP, which includes a specific commitment, a passion if you like, to research that has a transformative effect beyond local contexts and health provision per se … " Cochrane

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South-South Relationships and Collaborative Power

The collaborative has always foregrounded such issues of power, for example, deliberately emphasising 'Southern' and local knowledge as well as student voices - and strategising to avoid (as far as possible) becoming complicit in the politics driving certain religious, public health or international research agendas.

However, to continue to push the international research agenda on religion, public health and development. Given the notorious knowledge gaps present in this field, and the wide variety of interests of those involved - it is important that the research that is undertaken is both targeted and integrated in the developing knowledge base.

This has always been a challenge, as diverse interests have often resulted in the development of isolated information ‘nodes’. IRHAP intentionally seeks to integrate the needs and expectations of different parties (e.g. researchers, academics, practitioners, policy workers, and communities). It is important that the international research health and development agenda be challenged to reflect these broad interests – and that the growing knowledge base is constantly collated.

In addition, IRHAP sits intentionally between the sometimes different research agendas being set by those whose research goals are practice-outcomes oriented, and those whose research orientation is more reflective or contemplative. Said differently, we consider it is equally important to target research questions to the most immediately important questions that need answering and also to intentionally hold the space open for creative exploration and innovative practice.

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"...Before this conference...I hadn't realised ARHAP was a religion..." - Katherine Marshall, 2009