Just knowing: how can we create knowledge that does justice to marginalised voices? The case of Project Violet

‘Nothing about us without us’ is a frequent cry for justice from marginalised groups. Yet this cry also recognises people who are ‘not us’ whom we hope will change to include us as fully human and able to flourish. How do we create knowledge that does justice to marginalised voices, enabling them to speak in a way that protects their dignity but also mobilises action from those with the power to make changes? This article explores the methodology of Project Violet, a three-year research project to evaluates women’s experience of ministry in the Baptist tradition. Using Theological Action Research methodology, the project involved Baptist women to understand more fully the theological, missional, and structural obstacles they face, resulting in 57 requests for change. This just knowledge has been responded to by commitments to action from across the Baptist community. Having set out the approach to the research, the author evaluates its effectiveness in generating justice-seeking knowledge and evaluates Baptist ecclesiology as a site for justice-seeking.