The Role of Identity in Motivating and Shaping the Experiences of Social Work Participatory Action Research Scholars

Participatory action research (PAR) and Community-based participatory research (CBPR) prioritize collaborative research approaches with the goal of social transformation. Themes from this qualitative study of 15 early career social work PAR and CBPR scholars indicate that they are strongly motivated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Affilia 2020-11, Vol.35 (4), p.552-571
Main Authors: Cosgrove, Darren, Kramer, Catherine S., Mountz, Sarah, Lee, Eunwoo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community research
Empowerment
Identity
Marginality
Participatory action research
Participatory research
Power-sharing
Qualitative research
Researchers
Social change
Social values
Social work
Vulnerability
Work values
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Summary:Participatory action research (PAR) and Community-based participatory research (CBPR) prioritize collaborative research approaches with the goal of social transformation. Themes from this qualitative study of 15 early career social work PAR and CBPR scholars indicate that they are strongly motivated to pursue these methodologies because of their own experiences with disempowerment as well as their connection to social work values. Participants reflected upon their experiences with marginalization (due to observed and unobserved identities/experiences), which fostered a commitment to emphasizing power sharing and elevating marginalized voices. Additionally, identity played a role in how researchers experienced doing PAR/CBPR. Researchers described being simultaneously an insider and outsider in the communities in which they worked, especially the ways that their status as university researchers impacted their positioning in the communities they considered their own. This article explores how identity motivates and presents challenges that scholars must navigate when pursuing PAR/CBPR. Additionally, findings indicate that some scholars who hold marginalized identities experience increased vulnerability within academia when they engage in PAR/CBPR. Such experiences may impact whose voices are represented in the body of social work literature.
ISSN:0886-1099
1552-3020
DOI:10.1177/0886109920913331