Scholar in a social movement: Recording the collective praxis of social change workers

Abstract or Summary

In my PhD study of how the dominant cultural group in Aotearoa New Zealand changes in response to learning about their racism towards indigenous Maori, I undertook to record the theorising of my activist colleagues in the ‘Treaty movement’. By following the movement’s ethic of scholarly work serving social change goals, and with my scholarly resources of time and small research grants, I was able to play a key role in producing resource publications, facilitating a national discussion process and compiling important records of the movement for public access. Acting as a participant activist and ‘praxis explicator’ guided my research processes and provided crucial material for literature review, methodology and method. I conclude that with careful acknowledgment of collective and individual authorship, a scholar may contribute to her social movement and to the collective creation of new knowledge.