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(2018) Responsible research practice, Dordrecht, Springer.
Introduction to the book
activating transformative intent in consideration of the immersion of research in social and ecological existence
pp. 1-44
Mertens regards the transformative paradigm as an extension of critical and emancipatory traditions in social research. Researchers classed as working within the transformative paradigm, she notes, consciously tie the research enterprise to the furthering of social justice concerns. This chapter revisits her account of this paradigm and its relationship to "other" paradigms. After introducing myself and my concerns as a researcher, I discuss her understanding of the axiological commitments which guide research work within the transformative paradigm, commitments which she believes inform epistemological, ontological and methodological considerations. While looking at her arguments (and some variations in them in different writings of hers), I add what I see as additional angles, primarily with reference to a number of authors advocating critical systemic thinking-and-practice and advocating Indigenous systemic approaches. I focus on considering how research as an endeavor carries specific responsibilities, arising from our recognition of the involvement of social research in shaping the social and ecological worlds of which it is a part.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-74386-8_1
Full citation:
(2018). Introduction to the book: activating transformative intent in consideration of the immersion of research in social and ecological existence, in Responsible research practice, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 1-44.
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