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Action Research, Vol. 4, No. 1, 23-36 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1476750306060539

And they shall be known by their deeds

Ethics and politics in action research

Anne Inga Hilsen

Work Research Institute, Oslo

What makes something action research (AR) or someone an action researcher? In this article, I address several questions aimed at clarifying the ethical and methodological foundation of my action research practice: How can I define my research within the many AR traditions? How do I define the ethical foundation of my AR, and why is it important for me, as an action researcher, to discuss and acknowledge my ethical foundation? What is the grounding of my research practice? There are three pivots in my argument on which I will elaborate in this article: human interdependency; cogeneration of knowledge; and fairer power relations. I base my argument on the premise that human life is relational and thus human practice becomes the centre of attention for both scientific and ethical reasons. As the title implies, I argue that it is through our practice that human beings ‘live our ethics’. For me, as an action researcher, this means that it is through my scientific practice that I demonstrate my ethical foundation. To illustrate the empirical consequences of this position, I use the experiences from an ongoing three-years, national, organizational development project (2003–2005) in the National Insurance Service (NIS) in Norway.

Key Words: action research • cogeneration of knowledge • ethics • human interdependency • industrial democracy • senior workers • social justice


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