Repoliticising Participatory/Action Research: From Action Research to Activism: some considerations on the 7th Action Research Network of Americas Conference

Abstract

Extract ----- Abstract The seventh conference of the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) took place in Montreal, Canada, from the 26th to 28th of June, in 2019. Having as title “Repoliticising Participatory/Action Research: From Action Research to Activism”, the event gathered people from different areas of practice coming mostly from the North American countries: Canada, United States and Mexico. The discussion presented here is based on notes made by the authors in the course of the conference, in which 40 words/keywords were identified, serving as a base to debate the validity of the principles of participatory research and action research in its repoliticisation and activism. Thus, we presented a systematisation of some key themes of the conference, among them, the commitment with the rupture: in relation to the traditional practices of research, the role and the social responsibility of the universities and the transforming character of participation, with emphasis in the effort for its repoliticisation and activism. Keywords: ARNA (Action Research Network of the Americas); Participation; Action Research; Activism; Repoliticisation ----- Repolitizacion de la investigacion participativa/accion: de la investigacion en accion al activismo: algunas consideraciones sobre la 7a Conferencia de la Red de Investigacion Accion de las Americas Resumen La septima conferencia de la Red de Investigacion Accion de las Americas (ARNA) se llevo a cabo en Montreal, Canada, del 26 al 28 de junio de 2019. Con el titulo “Repolitizando la Investigacion Accion Participativa: de la Investigacion Accion al Activismo”, el evento reunio a personas de diferentes areas provenientes en su mayoria de los paises de America del Norte: Canada, Estados Unidos y Mexico. La discusion aqui presentada se basa en registros realizados por los autores en el transcurso de la conferencia, en los que se identificaron 40 palabras/conceptos, que sirven de base para debatir la vigencia de los principios de la investigacion participativa y la investigacion accion en su repolitizacion y activismo. Asi, presentamos una sistematizacion de algunos temas clave de la jornada, entre ellos, el compromiso con la ruptura ‒ en relacion a las practicas tradicionales de investigacion, el rol y la responsabilidad social de las universidades y el caracter transformador de la participacion, con enfasis en el esfuerzo por su repolitizacion y activismo. Palabras Clave : ARNA (Red de Investigacion Accion de las Americas); Participacion; Investigacion para la Accion; Activismo; Repolitizacion ----- Bibliography: de Castro Pitano, Sandro/Noal, Rosa Elena/Zanini Moretti, Cheron: Repoliticising Participatory/Action Research: From Action Research to Activism: some considerations on the 7th Action Research Network of Americas Conference, IJAR – International Journal of Action Research, 3-2020, pp. 267-278. https://doi.org/10.3224/ijar.v16i3.06