Date and time: Wednesday 17 July, 6.00pm - 8.00pm AEST
Topic: Canberra Winter Reading Group, Wise women of evaluation
Location: Members Lounge and Library of the Polish White Eagle Club, 38 David Street, Turner Canberra  
Presenters: Laura Rohan-Jones & Ruth Pitt | AES Canberra Regional Network
Register online by: 16 July 2024

About the reading group: 

The reading group explores the lives and works of ‘wise women of evaluation’. To date, we have read Eleanor Chelimsky, Carol Weiss, Patricia Rogers, Zenda Ofir, Jane Davidson, Nan Wehipeihana & Kate McKegg, and Donna Mertens. We continue a winter tradition of meeting at the cosy White Eagle Polish Club library for pierogi, wine, and a lively discussion. All welcome!

Event Description:

In preparation for the upcoming AES conference in Melbourne | Naarm, our 'conversation starter' will be an article from Elizabeth Hoffecker, one of the keynote speakers. Elizabeth is an interdisciplinary social scientist who works at the intersection between systems research and systems-level evaluation and learning. At the MIT Local Innovation Group, she leads a portfolio of projects and collaborations that span research, development intervention and advising, complexity-aware monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), and systems-level evaluation research.

The article reflects on the processes and practices of applied research in contexts in which imbalances of power exist between researchers and those being researched. It asks "How can applied researchers meaningfully reckon with the effects of the research process on both those conducting it and those participating in it throughout the research cycle?"

Access the article here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354775056_Taking_the_Research_Experience_Seriously_A_Framework_for_Reflexive_Applied_Research_in_Development

And for those who have time, a related article from keynote speaker June Oscar AO. June is a proud Bunuba woman from the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous Australian languages, social justice and women’s issues. In March 2024, June launched the Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute for First Nations Gender Justice, based at the Australian National University.

Access the article here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309381753_Seeking_consent_for_research_with_indigenous_communities_a_systematic_review

This free event has been organised by the AES Canberra Regional Network. Our seminar series provides an opportunity for you to meet with AES members and others in the evaluation community and to share and learn from the experiences of fellow evaluators.