Confronting espoused theories with theories-in-use

Challenges of participatory action research with marginalized communities in contributing to social change and theory building

Bibliographic Data

ID6134476
AuthorsGyörgy Málovics (0000-0002-6539-8588), Judit Juhász (0000-0002-5765-6575), Boglárka Méreiné Berki (0000-0002-6739-6893, University of Szeged, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Hungary; Community-based Research for Sustainability Association, Hungary), Barbara Mihók (0000-0002-9785-4808), István Szentistványi (Community-based Research for Sustainability Association, Hungary), György Pataki (Department of Decision Sciences, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary; Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG), Hungary; Community-based Research for Sustainability Association, Hungary), Mihály Nagy (0000-0002-0577-8706, “Elszalasztott 1000 Év” Public Association, Hungary; Roma Ethnic Local Government of Szeged, Hungary), Janka Tóth (University of Szeged, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Hungary; “Elszalasztott 1000 Év” Public Association, Hungary)
Year2018
Volume19
Issue2
Pages255-276
Publication date2018-05-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAction Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1476-7503 • E-ISSN: 1741-2617
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1476750318774389
OpenAlexW2803873780
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited32

This article reflects on a participatory action research process in partnership with segregated Roma communities in Hungary. It will focus on the “non-positivist good theory”-building capacity of participatory action research in situations where social distance between participants is high and where action-oriented cooperation involves numerous actors, continuously extends to new stakeholders and areas, and aims to contribute to long-term and general social goals. Special attention will be paid to the effects of three phenomena: extreme poverty, extreme egalitarianism, and community hierarchy. We show that as cooperation shifts from discussions to actions and theories-in-use start dominating the process, PAR might become a complex and fuzzy process, characterized by numerous pragmatic and ethical challenges and contradictions. Thus, in a setting described above, it is a rather challenging task for PAR to create a “non-positivist good theory”: one which enables and empowers community members to make pragmatic and sustainable changes in their lives

Action (physics · Action research · Citizen journalism · Epistemology · General partnership · Participatory action research · Political science · Positivism · Public relations · Sociology · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Romani and Gypsy Studies