Blurring the lines: field diaries and epistemological tensions in citizen-driven research on an open drug scene in Venice

This paper explores epistemological tensions arising from a 2023 Community-Driven Research (CDR) initiated by the civic group ‘ViviAmo Marghera’ in an open drug scene in Venice, Italy. We focus on qualitative data drawn from field diaries kept by citizen-researchers, using them as a lens to analyse the tensions of participatory research, conceived as a form of social action with transformative potential. Results show how community members negotiated their dual roles as observers and participants in a context marked by stigma and proximity, highlighting the emotional labour involved in balancing engagement and analytical distance, the moral tensions encountered, and the role of shifting social imaginaries in shaping social relations. We further discuss how reflexivity functions as an indispensable tool for managing these emotional demands. Finally, we consider the broader implications of conducting CDR in fragile urban environments. We contend that participatory research rooted in community leadership and reflexive engagement can disrupt fear and stigma by recognising the agency and self-determination of those often regarded as ‘other’. Through this analysis, we argue that the transformative potential of CDR depends on sustained reflexivity and on the epistemological, relational, and institutional conditions that enable knowledge production to advance epistemic justice and social inclusion.