Toward an Ethics of Community–Academic Partnership

Community–academic partnerships, which often form unexpectedly, can be time consuming, tedious, and sometimes awkward alliances, yet they arise out of perceived needs and can be fruitful. Putting aside hierarchy to explore such partnerships as communities themselves that seek to capitalize on the strengths, knowledge, and life experiences of each stakeholder can offer a fresh perspective for thinking about the ethics of community-academic partnerships. This commentary explores the partnerships detailed in the symposia through the lens of ethnography.