Peer research with young Muslims and the politics of knowledge production

The peer research method, which involves young people who are 'insiders' (rather than adult 'outsider' researchers) collecting data from their peers, is an increasingly popular and valuable way to undertake youth research. It is seen to improve power imbalances, result in better access to hard-to-reach groups and the elicitation of higher quality material from them, and more closely adheres to child- and youth-rights principles than traditional methods that position young people as the objects of research. In their research on young Muslims and civic engagement, researcherss sought to utilize this approach of outsider-designed and guided research that was then shaped and executed by insider peer researchers with these outcomes in mind. Their project involved 'insider' peer researchers who were recruited on the basis of their proximity in age and shared religious identification with the participants amongst other determining factors.