Between politics and practicalities: doing activist relevant research at Doctoral Level

This presentation argues that many of the established methods of activist-relevant research are difficult for a doctoral researcher.The desire to avoid reification of movements, and the increasing prevalence of “activist-scholars”, has led to an emphasis on doing“activist-relevant”, participatory research. Scholars have utilised numerous methods into their research in response to this approach, such as involving activists in the research planning, and making research findings available outside the academy. Doctoral level “activist-scholars” must engage in the uneasy balancing act between producing participatory research and satisfying the academic criteria of a PhD. This presentation explores some of the established research methods, and reflects on my own experience of navigating the complexities of activist-relevant research and early doctoral research. I contend that activists often engage in their own creative knowledge making process, utilising alternative media, zines, and the creation of safe spaces.These activist-knowledge methods are often overlooked by academics, or are seen as lesser than established social scientific methods. I argue for the utilisation of research methods drawn from the field of “militant ethnography” and anarchist studies, such as participatory (as opposed to participant) research, advocate drawing on creative methods of learning from activists, led by activists, and try to propose a framework for activist-relevant research at doctoral level.