“Gloriously More Messy”: The Promise and Reality of Community Engaged Research with Environmental Justice Communities

Information from the abstract

Community engaged research (CEnR) emphasizes the inclusion of people with nonacademic backgrounds in the research process, and it has expanded to include environmental justice (EJ) communities. At the Tar Creek Superfund Site, lead and zinc mining damaged the lands of nine federally recognized tribes, and for over three decades, residents and researchers have conducted CEnR at the Superfund Site to address residents’ goals and concerns. This study asks: what are the risks and rewards of CEnR for community members and researchers at the Tar Creek Superfund Site? Through semi-structured interviews, findings demonstrate how EJ communities’ histories heighten the risks of repeated harm and rewards for equitable, reciprocal relationships. The region’s EJ history contextualizes CEnR, fostering strong sense of place and care that produce close-knit relationships. While findings are specific to the Tar Creek Superfund Site, this work underscores how CEnR relationships can support restorative environmental justice.

Why this record is monitored

This record has an Impact Signal of 80/100 based on recency, source, collaboration, and bibliographic signals. It prioritizes monitoring and is not a judgment of research quality.

Related topics: Environmental Justice and Health Disparities · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Mining and Resource Management