Ideologically Involved Co-Research

The Ideologically Confrontational Method

Abstract

Critical psychologists have discussed collaboration with co-researchers extensively in the context of long-term practice research. In this article, we present an interviewing method that follows the epistemological and ethical goals of critical psychology for working with co-researchers: to identify a given researched subject matter as rooted in social practice and to conduct research in collaboration with co-researchers who have a genuine interest in participating in the research in order to improve a practice. We call this method the ideologically confrontative method and show how it can be viewed as a form of ideologically involved co-research. By naming it “ideologically involved,” the goal is to clarify certain ideas, everyday-thinking and formal ideologies in use when specific actions are explained. The goal of the method is performing an ideological deconstruction in which the symbolic background concerning the research object at hand is challenged for both the researcher and the co-researcher. The symbolic background may be understood as the way ideology manifests itself in the layman’s interpretation of their understanding and participation in practice. Through this process, the co-researcher may arrive at novel ways of understanding herself and the practice she participates in, expanding her agency. This new knowledge is generalised by the researcher to types of possibilities that appear in dialogue with the co-researcher.