Introduction -- SECTION A: THE BIGGER PICTURE -- Pasts, presents and futures: An overview of the Action Research family -- Theoretical orientations: critical theory and related theories for activism -- Where do you stand? Philosophical orientations -- SECTION B: DOING THIS STUFF -- Methodology of activism in research -- Methods of constructing field texts -- Methods of analysing field texts to make research texts -- SECTION C: GOING PUBLIC -- Difficulties, limitations and cautions -- A checklist for activist research(ers) -- A practical example: Don’t LEAP into this -- Other examples from professional fields -- Presenting your research for an audience -- Conclusion -- Index.

Action research was conceived as a method of collaborative, self-reflective problem-solving in a community context. Yet many believe it has evolved too far away from its original, directly activist roots. As a direct response to calls for a rejuvenation of the social agenda of ‘action research’, this volume provides an all-inclusive road map to generating and implementing politically active grass-roots research activities. It is a priceless practical guide for the newly minted researcher wanting to make a tangible difference in their profession and in the world. Where some action research models have been criticized for losing focus on the participatory and social justice roots of this type of research, this book puts social justice activism squarely center stage, guiding the researcher through the theoretical, methodological and practical considerations and constraints of developing, implementing and sustaining research in the cultural professions. Locating and contextualizing the history and theory of action research, critical theory and other related methodologies and concepts, this volume takes the reader on a journey that begins with the formation of a question, puzzle or research idea right through to the publication of a report on your finished project. Including discrete sections on every stage in the process, from generating a social justice activism agenda, through forming a team and empowering participants, to ensuring the implementation of your agenda and publishing and disseminating your work. Engaging their readers with a fresh acronym, PAtR—Participatory Activist Research—the authors give fresh impetus to those looking for a systematic way to understand and shape practice in their daily work, their profession and their world.