Love, Solidarity, and Rejection: The Experience of Being a Peer Activist, Researcher and Co-Editor

• In Event: The start of a sea change: advancing qualitative methodologies with lived experience expertise

Abstract

Engaging in peer research and co-editing journal articles is a deeply complex and transformative experience that involves intellectual rigour, emotional investment, creative imagination, clarity of intention and interpersonal and identity negotiation. This abstract explores the nuanced realities of working as a peer researcher, navigating the editorial process, and grappling with the interplay of love, solidarity, and rejection.

The process of co-editing journal articles fosters a sense of intellectual camaraderie, as editors and researchers collaborate to refine ideas, challenge assumptions, and contributes to the collective knowledge of the field. This solidarity rests in development of trust and mutual respect, strengthening the knowledge production process founded in deep collaboration. However, sitting alongside the editorial process, the peer researchers must also confront rejection—whether in the form of critical feedback, failed submissions, or ideological conflicts within the editorial process. Such rejection can feel deeply personal and a source of ideological, emotional and relational conflict.

Experiences of care, solidarity and love manifests in this experience through a passion for knowledge production, dedication to ethical scholarship, and commitment to amplifying diverse voices. It also emerges in the act of nurturing and supporting colleagues through constructive critique. At the same time, the challenges of rejection can test resilience and reinforce the necessity of solidarity among researchers.

Ultimately, being a peer researcher and co-editor is an act of both vulnerability and empowerment. It requires balancing emotional investment with academic objectivity, embracing critique while maintaining confidence, and continuously learning from both acceptance and rejection. This journey underscores the power of collective knowledge production.

Author

• Paula Harriott, UNLOCK