Whose Interpretations? Interpretive Analysis in Participatory Public Health
A Symposium
Thursday, 9th October 2025, 10 AM to 430 PM
at Kala Sangam, Bradford city centre
Host: Bradford Centre for Qualitative Research
FREE TO ATTEND!
Convenors: Dr Satrio Nindyo Istiko (Senior Research Fellow, Born in Bradford) and Dr Laura Sheard (Reader, University of Manchester)
Background
The ‘participatory turn’ in public health research and practice has contributed to diverse knowledges to tackle health inequalities. However, there remains very little understanding on the evolution of interpretive analysis in this context, as a qualitative approach that focuses on moving from the descriptions of ‘what’ is happening towards the meanings and narratives that underlie the social reproduction of health inequalities. Power, rigour, collaboration, creativity, and theory are some of the elements of interpretive analysis that are in tension with each other in the context of participatory public health research. This begs the question of whose interpretations matter, meaning how do researchers, communities, and other research stakeholders negotiate different interpretations? In this one-day, symposium, we bring together researchers, practitioners, and communities to discuss the state of the art in interpretive analysis in participatory public health research.
The symposium is free to attend, and lunch will be provided.
Call for abstracts
Are you qualitative or mixed-method researcher in public health who use interpretive analysis? We are interested to hear about your strategies, impacts, challenges, and findings from interpretive analysis within interdisciplinary, participatory projects in various settings such as (but certainly not limited to): schools, healthcare, social care, prisons, policy spaces, the urban city, green spaces, etc.
We invite abstracts for oral presentations on topics including, but not limited to:
- Power dynamic between researchers, communities, and stakeholders and its influence on interpretive analysis, and vice versa.
- Rigour, creativity, and collaboration in interpretive analysis.
- Creative methods and interpretive analysis.
- Participatory modes of conceptualisation and theorisation.
- Qualitative research training and the trend of underconceptualised qualitative research in public health.
- Interpretive analysis and complexity in public health research and implementation.
- Knowledge mobilisation, interpretive analysis, and impacts.
Submit your abstract (max. 500 words) and bio (max. 100 words) by midnight on 31st May 2025 to Satrio Nindyo Istiko (TIKO) at Tiko.Istiko@bthft.nhs.uk Please ensure your abstract include explanations on why you consider your research project(s) is ‘participatory’ and ‘interpretive’. We will aim to notify applicants of the outcome by mid-June 2025.
For enquiries, contact Tiko at Tiko.Istiko@bthft.nhs.uk. We look forward to your submissions!
Keynote speaker
Details will be added soon.
Full program
Coming soon.
Registration
Coming soon.
