elizaBeth Simpson Collaboration Bio

elizaBeth Simpson studies the dynamics of collaboration, participation, social responsibility, and
personal agency, especially as they intersect with cultural work. Her current research interests as
a phD candidate in the Institute of Communications Research at UIUC include participatory
knowledge making, with particular emphasis on embodied cognition, political theater, and
restorative justice. Her doctoral project seeks to illuminate principles of anti-oppressive small
group process through an examination of demechanization as used in Theatre of the Oppressed .
In addition to her work as a researcher, elizaBeth has been a facilitator and consultant for
grassroots social justice organizations for over 20 years, and is also a performance and
multimedia artist who specializes in collaborative projects with people who would not call
themselves “creative.”