“Nothing about us without us”: Tending to emancipatory ideologies and transformative goals in participatory action research partnerships

Abstract

In this paper, a collaborative group of university researchers and a community organizer who participated in a 2-year participatory action research (PAR) partnership reflect upon their inquiry process and analyze its effects. Authors examine the benefits, challenges, and potential of using PAR to advance educational justice and transformative goals amidst austere neoliberal education reforms, such as public school closure and state sanctioned privatization. Authors consider ways PAR can reflect emancipatory ideologies, enable social and political change, and disrupt oppressive dynamics that many urban education organizers and activists oppose. Insights pertain to cultivating community-based norms that foster collective learning, agency, and social action, while also confronting methodological tensions in the work. Such tensions pertained to varied ideas about emotionality in research, research design, and the layered power dynamics of university-community relations. Authors highlight implications for implementing justice-oriented PAR in urban education arenas affected by intensifying neoliberal political contexts.

Development of Systemic Interventions to Decrease Breast Cancer Risk: A Group Concept Mapping Study

“…Involving community members and other stakeholders in ongoing public health research and policy development is critical, as demonstrated by the engagement of participants in the current project. Other recent papers support the notion that involvement of multiple stakeholders, especially community members, is critical to improving public health strategies and policy initiatives, while also reducing community inequalities [ 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…They are frequently ignored or passed by in efforts to scope out or plan public health interventions. Across the state, one of the responses that was commonly heard was “don’t do anything about me without me” or the historically more common “nothing about us without us” [ 27 ]. People are eager to have a voice in decisions that would impact their health and environment, and to learn more about how the two are connected.…”

Still, I RISE: a framework for transforming experiences of Black women leaders in K- 12 urban education

“…Embarking on the journey of qualitative research demands a continuous commitment to vulnerability, honesty, and critical self-reflection (Herr & Anderson, 2014;Wilson et al, 2022).…”

“…These roles included, but were not limited to, vice principals, instructional coaches, deans, and program directors. In action research, the partnerships that exist between the researcher and stakeholders are critical to building trust and enabling social change that disrupts oppression in urban communities (Herr & Anderson, 2014;Wilson et al, 2022). The collaboration with internal and external stakeholders helped shape the…”

“…In the realm of action research, these relationships have taken on an added layer of significance. Action research inherently requires a deep understanding of the communities being studied, and the shared experiences between Black women faculty and myself have enriched the research process (Stringer & Aragón, 2020;Wilson et al, 2022). It has allowed for a more nuanced and authentic exploration of the issues at hand, fostering a research environment that is not only academically rigorous but also socially conscious and rooted in real-world impact.…”