About this episode

Pamela Abbott discusses her research on critical self-transformation in ICT4D and the complexities of being a researcher in the Global South.

In this episode I talk with Pamela Abbott from the University of Sheffield about a paper she coauthored with Salihu Dasuki and Andrea Jimenez and published by the Information Systems Journal in 2025. The paper is titled "The 4Rs: A collective reflexive methodology for realising critical self-transformation in ICT4D research practice." This part of the talk focuses upon being "in between", a concept she and her colleagues have developed to better understand the role and experience of being a researcher studying and developing complex infrastructure initiatives involving and impacting people from the Global South. I also ask Pamela what was the best research environment she has encountered thus far and what made it so good? Notes, extra questions, and further reading: Abbott, P. Y., Dasuki, S., & Jimenez, A. (2025). The 4Rs: A collective reflexive methodology for realising critical self-transformation in ICT4D research practice. Information Systems Journal, 35(3), 855–906. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12561 Disclosure: this project benefited from seed-funding grant that Paul Dylan-Ennis and Allen Higgins received under the Research Culture Local Actions Initiatives and Measures…

People in this episode

Host: Allen Higgins

Guest: Pamela Abbott

Topics covered

• research methodology
• ICT4D
• self-transformation
• Global South
• infrastructure initiatives

Keywords

• 4Rs
• research practice
• ICT4D
• self-transformation
• Global South
• infrastructure
• methodology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Sheffield, Information Systems Journal, UCD, Wellcome Trust

Books & works: The 4Rs: A collective reflexive methodology for realising critical self-transformation in ICT4D research practice

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