To stimulate some pre-convergence brainwaves, and in the interest of freedom of knowledge and information, we’ve compiled a small selection of texts around the subject of Activism and Research Ethics, freely downloadable from the following links:
Texts included:
- Martin, ‘Bureaucratizing Ethics: Institutional Review Boards and Participatory Research’
- Askins, ‘Codes, Committees and Other Such Conundrums!’
- Shukaitis, Graeber & Biddle (eds), Constituent Imagination – Militant Investigations, Collective Theorization
- Gillan & Pickerall, ‘The Difficult and Hopeful Ethics of Research on, and with, Social Movements’
- Blake, ‘Formality and Friendship: Research Ethics Review and Participatory Action Research’
- de Jong, ‘The Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Human Rights, Activism and Academic Neutrality’
- Hall, ‘Pirate Radical Philosophy’
- Elwood, ‘Negotiating Participatory Ethics in the Midst of Institutional Ethics’
- Dawson & Sinwell, ‘Ethical and Political Challenges of Participatory Action Research in the Academy: Reflections on Social Movements and Knowledge Production in South Africa’
- Cahill, Sultana & Pain,’Participatory Ethics: Politics, Practices, Institutions’
- Cordner, Ciplet, Brown & Morello-Frosch, ‘Reflexive Research Ethics for Environmental Health and Justice: Academics and Movement Building’
- Cahill, ‘Repositioning Ethical Commitments: Participatory Action Research as a Relational Praxis of Social Change’
- Lewis, ‘Ethics, Activism and the Anti-Colonial: Social Movement Research as Resistance’
- Chesters, ‘Social Movements and the Ethics of Knowledge Production’
- Various, Ethics, Policy & Environment & Environment – Special Section on Ethics and Global Activism
- Valentine, ‘Geography and Ethics: Moral Geographies? Ethical Commitment in Research and Teaching’
- Cloke, ‘Deliver Us From Evil? Prospects for Living Ethically and Acting Politically in Human Geography’
- The SIGJ2 Writing Collective, ‘What Can We Do? The Challenge of Being New Academics in Neoliberal Universities’
- Brown & Strega (eds), Research as Resistance: Critical, Indigenous and Anti-Oppressive Approaches
- Fuller & Kitchin (eds), Radical Theory/Critical Praxis: Making a Difference Beyond the Academy?
- Colectivo Situaciones, ‘Something More on Research Militancy: Footnotes on Procedures and (In)Decisions’
The latter texts with hyperlinks have also been individually uploaded. Just follow the link.
I am contributing to this discussion about activism and ethics as a Christian activist who found himself compelled internally by prayer and texts in the Bible to work with and for the poorest citizens in the UK. In the Bible both BC and AD there is a clear requirement to act in the interests of impoverished people, like feed, clothe, house them, give water to the thirsty, visit the sick and those in prison. The internalisation came first and the opportunity followed. With the opportunity something else played a part. It was the human indignation/anger I share with people of all faiths and none about man’s inhumanity to man. Putting prayer, bible and anger together was very motivating. Something had to be done to relieve the suffering and the isolation of poverty in a wealthy nation whose laws do so much to make it worse rather than relieve it. So the activist emerged both on the ground working with the poorest citizens with inevitably unmanageable debts and publicising their suffering by trying to use the public office of priest in the political arena in a way which is compatible with the the faith of the Churches. Another motivating factor is the shame of being seen to do nothing when the circumstances cry out for action.
All faiths and many humanists share the principle that we love our neighbour as our selves – or do as we would be done by – action at its best excludes no one from the practice of that principle. Prayer in this context is thinking about the facts and circumstances of the unfortunate people I meet in the context of that principle and deciding what action to take, and then reviewing the action. It is the connection between internalisation and activity and is be done by many people who do not call it prayer, In some circumstances the indignation and desire to act means I have to cope with the reality of my powerlessness to change the oppressive circumstances I meet.
I agree with Sam Halvorsen that researchers dipping into the work of activists taking what they want and giving nothing should be addressed and corrected as it happens. I founded, with some friends, the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust http://www.z2k.org in the 1990s. We work with the poorest debtors. We are frequently asked by journalists in TV and press to introduce them to some of the debtors we serve so they can write about them. I often refuse. It worries me for several reasons, the journalists sometimes act like Sam’s researchers interviewing the debtors but giving nothing to that person, except the publicity to the debilitating poverty, which is desperately needed, the benefit claimants we work with are often frightened of the publicity and the reaction of the authorities who have the power to evict them and stop their benefits, they can be humiliated by the publicity given to their poverty, the Daily Mail regularly lies about poverty see the following blog written by an official in the head Office of the Methodist Church. http://jointpublicissues.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/daily-mail-welfare-story-untrue-and.html ,