2024 and My Journey as a Researcher in a Nutshell!

I’ll simply start with the argument: Can we quantify every nuance of the human experience? And can every human experience be vocalized??

There are as many ways to capture the human experience as there are diverse mediums of human expression. And so, the past year has been about finding this answer—that researchers need to consider alternatives to traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods.?

Numbers always scared me. Still, my curiosity to understand the stories these numbers were trying to tell me helped me persevere through all the data courses and tests. I always find it quite amusing whenever I recall myself being this bundle of nerves every time I was taught a new course—yet still managing to do way better than my expectations.?

After all, stories are what I have always been curious about! Next, I realized the importance of context and the power dynamics between the storyteller and the listener—the listener who later takes the role of passing it on in a language and medium of their choice.?

I figured that, given our colonial past and subsequent evolution as a post-colonial state, there is a need to decolonize our research practices as well. One such example is our overreliance on numbers and experimental research designs. Without undermining the potential and contributions of numbers in our research, programs, and policies, I believe we are disregarding much data (and human experience) that can help us contextualize our decisions and influences in our respective fields as researchers. Our interventions can become scientific intrusions without proper contextualization. The present context has its roots in our collective histories, which can also be accessed through our collective memory. Decolonizing our research practices means questioning the superiority and influence of Western thought and approaches in our practices. It also means giving agency to and allowing partnerships with research participants. Acknowledging the local knowledge systems that have been marginalized or erased over time can guide the decolonization and contextualization of our actions as researchers.?

Next comes the concern of positionality. This past year, I questioned my position as a researcher to better frame my positionality statement in light of my background, identity, and experiences as a person. I also realized that no matter how much research experience I may have acquired, I was always uneasy proclaiming myself a researcher because I had not asked these really important preliminary questions—i.e., “What is my positionality?” This was also to understand my position in relation to my research participants whenever I am in the field. And these are research participants I am talking about here—not mere “subjects” of my research.?

What made this journey even more interesting was getting the chance to learn about research and practices in the education, public health, and culture domains of the development sector post-graduation. In each domain, I found myself viewing problems through a social justice lens. For each problem, I found myself thinking about building multi-sectoral and multi-systemic collaborations, as these problems are intertwined. For our actions and contributions to be sustainable, problems cannot be framed as either a public health problem or an educational problem. They are, in fact, multisectoral problems requiring action across systems.?

Culture, on the other hand, became a game-changer for me! The decolonization and contextualization of my research and practices would not have been possible without insights from culture. I call this a cleansing process that I am currently undergoing—and I am endorsing it!?

My research interests have evolved from studying resilience in adolescents, guided by USAID’s Positive Youth Development framework (a psychosocial lens to youth development). I thought schools provided the right apparatus to work with adolescents. But then I realized that there are currently over 22 million out-of-school children and adolescents. The formal education system fails to accommodate this huge chunk of the youth population. Hence, there are more out-of-school (potential) learners than in-school ones in Pakistan. Imagine! From here onwards, my research interests became focused on leveraging nonformal educational spaces to empower the marginalized. And trust me when I say—there is still a lot of untapped potential in the nonformal education landscape of Pakistan to support all domains and sectors in youth development at every level of analysis.?

Today, when I revisit the idea of working with marginalized communities, the concerns of their agency in research and programs arise. I find that adopting participatory approaches in research is the way forward. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child supports a child’s right to expression and participation in decisions pertaining to them. Another concern is understanding the politics of voice. The South Asian female voice is far more marginalized within already marginalized communities. This double marginalization affects the chances of transforming a female child’s identity into an empowered one. Therefore, a feminist lens becomes crucial to addressing the lack of female voice and representation.?

This final step required me to take a step back and reflect on my own voice as a South Asian woman before I could proclaim myself a researcher.?

Lastly, the sustainability of our efforts with the grassroots can only be maintained through forming collectives and promoting collective action at the grassroots level—only then will I consider the community empowered.?

Thanks to Fouzia Sadaf , Dr. Uzair Amjad , Rahla Rahat , Aaisha Amjad, and Shermeen Bano ! My voice as a researcher was first heard in your classrooms, where I saw it building its foundation.?

Thanks to Dr. Soufia Siddiqi for introducing me to the significance of a researcher’s positionality and prompting me to reflect on my own.?

Thanks to Faisal Bari for making me cognizant of my presence, role, and impact while working with youth in a community—more specifically, the out-of-school and marginalized ones.?

Thanks to Ali Turab and Dr. Javed Ismail ! I was a fresh grad with some insanely big thoughts and ambitions and my head in the clouds—thanks for seeing the potential in me!?

Thanks to Aaliyah Tayyebi for asking, "But what does Maham have to say?"

Thanks to Aliya Khalid for helping me find my “voice” as a researcher!?

Lastly, thanks to Ayesha Iftikhar for recognizing: “You are a researcher, Maham!”?

Thanks for never giving up on me. I want everyone to know—none of it went to waste. :)?

Context for the picture: Posing at the “Camera from the Past” exhibit at the National History Museum—summing up my 2024 in hindsight with some self-reflection.?