Overview – Whose Knowledge Counts? Reflecting on Child-Led and Co-Produced Research with Children and Young People

Historically, many groups of people have been excluded from knowledge production, including children and young people. In the last decades (years?), child-led and co-produced research with children and young people has emerged as an approach supported by decolonial perspectives to address this gap. It has challenged conventional research and contested what knowledge counts. This position argues that children are entitled to contribute to knowledge creation, and not only adult researchers. This presentation will offer an overview of this process of questioning knowledge production, including: a) a discussion on the children and young people’s human rights to participate in all matters relevant to them, including research; b) the recognition of children and young people’s experience and expertise as a fundamental resource for research; c) the importance of focusing on appropriate methodologies instead of limiting the discussion to children and young people’s abilities; d) the influence of decolonisation of knowledge movements and the opportunities and pitfalls offered to address epistemic injustice. We seek to problematise research epistemologies, discuss counter-narratives to the traditional understanding of research about and with children and young people, and open the research space to them {children} as generators of knowledge.