Reflections on the Undercurrent of Participation in Collaborative Action Research: Power Dynamics and the Unsaid

Participation is seen as a key methodological principle in Participatory Action Research (PAR), and the literature shows an increasing number of reflections on the challenges of participation. However, beneath the surface of the stories being told, there can often other stories be found, such as stories about conflicts, frustrations, moral sensitivities or even failures, that are challenging to our personal identities as researchers. I conducted an auto ethnographic study as the leader of a collaborative PAR project, called Project Z, using data from my personal experiences and reflections. I reflect on the participation of organizations, and the participation of clients in the project. The organizational learning theory by Chris Argyris and psychodynamic theories by Jessica Benjamin and Melanie Klein, are used to understand the undercurrent in these processes, i.e. the unspoken experiences, thoughts and emotions. My conclusion is that PAR will benefit from communicative spaces in which the undercurrent in participation is explicated in order to strengthen participation to create societal impact.