About Ashik

I first met Ashik on Zoom sometime in the beginning of October 2023, while I was still planning the fieldwork in Dhaka from Montreal. We had a great chat and I really had a good feeling about him. It’s not often that someone will mention the importance of Netflix’s show Sex Education in a job interview! We have worked together since October, and not for one second did I ever question hiring him.

Through this project, we got to know each other on so many levels. Working on this kind of research is not only a job, it also requires deep introspection about our own perceptions, assumptions and identities. One of the first thing we did was set the table for our reflexivity practices. We both have a journal where we document our reflections, ideas, feelings. We have weekly discussions about how it’s going, how we feel, what we believe or assume, and how we can challenge all of that and be more open.

I like to joke that Ashik is the pessimist, and I’m the optimist. He’s often worried about the potential challenges we might face, and I’m often very positive that everything will go well. Most of the time, it’s a little bit of both. Together, we find balance between our different worlds.

Ashik wrote this piece about his motivations and reflexivity practice. So here you go, a little bit about Ashik:

What were your motivations to work on The Together Project?

In the age of digital globalization, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) isn’t something that is talked very often & it’s also ignored in the text books or public discussions in our country. During my university days, I was always fascinated about how the gender dynamics worked in our society. In my undergraduate studies, I went through many readings and literature about gender-based and socioeconomic inequalities. In my postgraduate studies, me & some of my friends conducted some research on changes related to poverty & its impact on adolescents. I also attended a knowledge fair about SRHR during my masters. From then I had a keen interest in this field. So, when I saw the opportunity to work in The Together Project, I felt really excited & applied for the research assistant position. I got motivated further after learning that the project framework was really about agency & how it tackles the societal structure around us.

How is reflexivity influencing your work on this project?

All of my previous SRHR knowledge needed to be reflected before I had gone to the field. As the explanation I give to the events occurring in the field, it might have influenced on the knowledge I have on this certain topic & my society. At the beginning of the project, I thought about my gender identity, my work relation, rapport building with the community, cultural settings for my reflexivity thoughts. But with time these things evolved. I became more aware about my own perspectives. My assumptions were challenged. I made some adjustments in how I work. I started to think more critically about myself. I always tried to be transparent in explaining things. I started to think more about the critical engagement of the participants. As the project is still going on, I understand that reflexivity goes way beyond our own biases: it also helps us to shape a dynamic process that ensures participants cultural safety & rigorous research interactions.