Triple rigor: An introduction to the special section celebrating Christine Porter’s Work and life

Abstract

First paragraphs:

Christine Porter, Wyoming Excellence Chair and professor of community and public health at the University of Wyoming, centered her scholarship on community food systems strategies for improving equity, health, democracy, and what she called “the capital-W Work” of social and food justice. She led the Food Dignity[1] and Growing Resilience projects, helped to develop the Wyo­ming Food Coalition,[2] and served as the national execu­tive executive committee chair for the Inter-institutional Network for Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability (INFAS).[3] 

In 2023 and 2024, as Christine was moving through a five-year journey with stage 4 breast can­cer, I proposed a special section of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD) to celebrate her life and work. Christine means so much to so many who worked with, learned from, and knew and loved her. And her transformative scholarly contributions, aimed at investing in, diversifying, and amplifying those leading the Work, are worthy of celebration. She was honored by the proposed celebration, but she was most interested in inviting contributions from her personal and professional networks to extend the Work and especially her concept of triple-rigorous storytelling and research; that is, research that aims to achieve not only typical academic epis­temological rigor, but also ethical and emotional rigor. . . .

[1] https://www.fooddignity.org/

[2] https://www.wyfoodcoalition.org/

[3] https://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/infas

See the supplemental files included with this manuscript or click on their links below:

Bradley, K., Gregory M. M., Armstrong, J., Arthur, M. L., & Porter, C. M. (2018). Graduate students bringing emotional rigor to the heart of community-university relations in Food Dignity. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 8(Suppl. 1), 221–236. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2018.08A.003

Porter, C. M. (2018). Triple-rigorous storytelling: A PI’s reflections on devising case study methods with five community-based food justice organizations. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 8(Suppl. 1), 37–61. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2018.08A.008

Porter, C. M. (2024, March 29). “Triple-rigorous research” presentation by Christine Porter, March 2024 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=456GZRzC5PE