Activist Educational Research

Abstract

In the field of education, critical theorists, critical pedagogues, and critical race theorists call for academics to engage in activist academic work to promote the social transformation of the material conditions created by racism and other forms of oppression. This article is a response to this call for academics, particularly those in the field of education, to confront inequities resulting from intersecting oppressions such as heterosexism, racism, and sexism as well as to take action to create a more socially just world. Using two years of fieldnotes and interactive interviews, we present a critical co-constructed autoethnography that reviews literature on activist research, offers a critical analysis of our own efforts at activist research and provides a framework for reflecting on the impact of different types of activist research, particularly in the field of education.

YPAR and Critical Epistemologies: Rethinking Education Research

“…In their critical coconstructed autoethnography, DeMeulenaere and Cann (2013) frame their thinking about qualitative research according to three dimensions: ideological , or research that “attempts to challenge or disrupt ideology”; material , “the degree to which a project results in material change for participants”; and scale , how many people are affected by this work (p. 558). Their goal is not to measure research, “but rather to offer a heuristic for reflection” in response to critical theorists, critical pedagogues, and critical race theorists who have long called for an engagement in a praxis that incorporates activist work with ongoing reflection (p. 561).…”

Overcoming Stereotypes Through the Other Women’s Communicative Daily Life Stories

“…Shields (2008) argue for the need to work from methodologies that allow analyzing the results from this perspective to promote positive social change. Similar arguments are made by DeMeulenaere and Cann (2013) who argue that adequate methodological approaches can lead to greater social justice. As regard the investigation in gender violence, the importance of working from an intersectional approach that includes race, gender, and class is also stated as a way to better understand the experiences and contexts lived by the women who are victims of gender violence (Sokolof & Dupont, 2005).…”

Not Without Them

“…Another aspect highlighted is the creation of a panel constituted by international advisors that include the participation of delegated minors together with leaders in the Internet industry to improve policies on "Safety Internet." What the minors pointed out was in line with the aim of the international researches for overcoming gender-based violence to listen to the voices of the research subjects to design more effective measures (Brown, Gómez, & Munté, 2013;DeMeulenaere & Cann, 2013;R. Flecha & Soler, 2013;Mertens, 2013;Oliver et al, 2009;Valls et al, 2008).…”