Reflexivity & Relationality: Facilitating Embodied Collaboration

Item: Reflexivity & Relationality: Facilitating Embodied Collaboration
Rating: 4
Author: PostSingularity Institute

by Julia Santana Pereira

Humanities, Social Sciences & Thought Psychology JMPsychology JMHSocial, group or collective psychology

🎙 Julia Santana Pereira 👥 251 📅 December 11, 2025 ⏱ 50 min 👁 52 📄 expert opinion 🧭 2026-08-16

Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

reflexivityrelationalityembodimentcollaborationpositionality

Summary

Julia Santana Pereira, a qualitative specialist at the Women’s Health Research Institute, presents a lunch-and-learn session on reflexivity, relationality, and embodiment as practices to facilitate embodied collaboration. She begins with a land acknowledgement and situates the work within institutional commitments to health equity, referencing the TRC Calls to Action and the In Plain Sight report. She defines collaboration as ‘co-elaboration’ and emphasizes the importance of shared values and accountability. Reflexivity is presented as a set of practices to critically reflect on one’s positionality and influence, best done collectively. Relationality is rooted in place and relationships, acknowledging the colonial structures that shape our contexts. Embodiment challenges the privileging of intellectual knowledge over bodily knowledge, encouraging awareness of how our bodies experience and respond to the world. She offers practical tools such as reflexivity sessions, project diaries, collective memos, and regular meetings to integrate these concepts into team workflows. The presentation concludes with an invitation to further learning and a Slido for audience reflection.

162 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The presentation offers valuable insights into how reflexivity, relationality, and embodiment can enhance collaborative work, particularly in health research settings. The argumentation is coherent and well-structured, building from definitions to practical applications. The speaker effectively uses personal narrative and examples to illustrate abstract concepts, making them accessible. However, the argument would be strengthened by more explicit engagement with academic literature and empirical evidence to support the claims. The emphasis on collective practice and vulnerability is compelling, but the presentation could benefit from addressing potential challenges or limitations of these approaches.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The presentation demonstrates scientific rigor through its grounding in established qualitative research methodologies and its alignment with institutional strategic plans. The speaker references key reports (TRC, In Plain Sight) and acknowledges the colonial context, which adds credibility. However, the lack of explicit citations to academic sources limits the verifiability of the claims. The title accurately reflects the content, and the presentation stays focused on the announced topics. The use of a collective memo example from the HERBC initiative provides a concrete illustration of the proposed practices.

191 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content, which focuses on reflexivity, relationality, and embodiment in collaborative work.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The presentation is grounded in established qualitative research methodologies and references institutional reports (TRC, In Plain Sight). However, it lacks explicit citations to academic literature and relies heavily on personal experience and conceptual frameworks.

Key Moments

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

Cited Sources

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action — Referenced in the context of health-related calls to action (18-23) and institutional responsibilities.
In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care — Referenced regarding recommendation 8 on institutional responsibilities to address anti-Indigenous racism.

Concurring Sources

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action — Supports the call for institutional action on Indigenous health.
In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care — Supports the need to address anti-Indigenous racism in health institutions.

Contribution & Novelties

The presentation offers a practical framework for integrating reflexivity, relationality, and embodiment into collaborative research practices, emphasizing collective and embodied approaches. It provides concrete tools such as collective memos and reflexivity sessions, which are often overlooked in standard research methodology. The speaker’s personal narrative adds a unique perspective on how these concepts can be lived and applied.

Pour aller plus loin :

Reflexivity (social theory) — Provides an overview of reflexivity in social sciences.
Positionality — Explains the concept of positionality in research.
Embodied cognition — Discusses the role of the body in shaping cognition, relevant to embodiment.
Gloria E. Anzaldúa — Author of ‘Borderlands/La Frontera’, whose concept of ’nepantla’ is referenced in the presentation.

115 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows high scores in quantity and quality of information, with moderate technical level and reliability. This indicates a well-structured presentation with substantive content, though it could benefit from more explicit academic grounding.

Reliability 7/10