Feminist countertopographies of smallholder irrigation farming

Border crossing through results dissemination

Authors

  • Martina Angela Caretta Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University
  • Florence Jemutai Cheptum Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Keywords:

postcolonial transnational feminist praxis, border crossing, countertopographies, dissemination, smallholder irrigation farming, East Africa

Abstract

Although encouraged by feminist and critical geographers, dissemination of research results back to research participants is seldom carried out and reported to the wider research community. Lack of engagement with these ethical and methodological issue goes against the call for responsible geographies, which materialize through the bridging of the divide between scholars in the Global North and researched communities in the Global South. Building upon a feminist geographical postcolonial transnational perspective, this article, co-authored by the researcher and the local research assistant, presents two episodes of active cross-cultural, cross-language dissemination that took place at the conclusion of a four-year PhD research project on smallholder irrigation farming in East Africa. We argue that by engaging with and linking two women’s groups across countries with similar struggles, triggering participant-led active dissemination activities, the researcher can use his/her privileged position to further the cause of oppressed groups. Grounded on the concepts of border crossing and countertopographies, we contend that geographers need to heighten ethical disciplinary debates by drawing inspiration from postcolonial transnational feminist praxis.

Author Biography

Martina Angela Caretta, Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University

Assistant Professor in Geography

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Published

2019-01-28

How to Cite

Caretta, M. A., & Cheptum, F. J. (2019). Feminist countertopographies of smallholder irrigation farming: Border crossing through results dissemination. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 18(1), 25–48. Retrieved from https://acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/1626