Messy realities and collaborative knowledge production in tourism

In this paper, we draw on a relational ontology to explore what collaborative ways of knowing might mean in the field of tourism research. Using tourism as a prism to explore the messy realities of collaborative knowledge production, we argue that knowledge is always co-created through situated practices. By focusing on collaboration and co-creation of research and based on a discussion on what, how and where to know we suggest four orientations of research practices that clarify what collaborative research can be about and how it is of value. Research collaboration should capture the situated practices, strive for critical proximity, be interventionist and seek to come to matter in new ways.