The Relational University

What would it mean for universities to take relationships, power, and community seriously—not just as values, but as methods?

In this talk, Dr Amanda Tattersall introduces The Relational University, drawing on the tradition of community organising to reimagine how academic knowledge is produced, how collaboration is structured, and how universities engage with public life.

Community organising, shaped by urban ethnography and civil society practice, has become a global democratic strategy for renewing civic institutions. Amanda traces how this tradition informed the founding of the Sydney Alliance and later the development of the Relational Method—a university‑based, community‑engaged research approach.

The talk argues that organising offers more than a toolkit for engagement. It provides a methodological framework that:

• Deepens co‑design and participatory research
• Revitalises conventional research by foregrounding power and relationships
• Enables collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and communities
• Reorients universities toward social impact and civic purpose

The event will conclude with a response and discussion led by Professor Mia Gray.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Dr Daniele G. Palmer (Homerton College, Cambridge)