Just Research in Contentious Times

Widening the Methodological Imagination

Michelle Fine author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Teachers' College Press

Published:17th Nov '17

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Just Research in Contentious Times cover

In this intensely powerful and personal new text, Michelle Fine widens the methodological imagination for students, educators, scholars, and researchers interested in crafting research with communities. Fine shares her struggles over the course of 30 years to translate research into policy and practice that can enhance the human condition and create a more just world. Animated by the presence of W.E.B. DuBois, Gloria Anzaldúa, Maxine Greene, and Audre Lorde, the book examines a wide array of critical participatory action research (PAR) projects involving school pushouts, Muslim American youth, queer youth of color, women in prison, and children navigating under-resourced schools. Throughout, Fine assists readers as they consider sensitive decisions about epistemology, ethics, politics, and methods; critical approaches to analysis and interpretation; and participatory strategies for policy development and organizing. Just Research in Contentious Times is an invaluable guide for creating successful participatory action research projects in times of inequity and uncertainty.

Book Features:

  • Reviews the theoretical and historical foundations of critical participatory research.
  • Addresses why, how, with whom, and for whom research is designed.
  • Offers case studies of critical PAR projects with youth of color, Muslim American youth, indigenous and refugee activists, and LGBTQ youth of color.
  • Integrates critical race, feminist, postcolonial, and queer studies.
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"Michelle Fine’s text, Just Research in Contentious Times: Widening the Methodological Imagination, is a compelling and poignant read that includes a balance of self-reflection, theory, and practice. With powerful metaphors and poetic prose, her writing is as enjoyable as it is thought-provoking."

Teachers College Record


"Fine reawakens the spark that initially brought us to research and reminds us of the importance of doing work with a broader purpose. In her world, PAR not only leads us to a better understanding of the world around us but also spurs us on to join with movements for social change and liberation. The perspective she outlines—and the poetic voice she brings to the table—would be a welcome addition to any undergraduate or graduate course in the research methods."

Psychology of Women Quarterly

ISBN: 9780807758731

Dimensions: 229mm x 156mm x 8mm

Weight: 227g

160 pages