Antiracism in appreciative inquiry: Generative tensions and collective reflexivity

Area of Science:

• Action Research
• Antiracism Theory
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an action research methodology focused on an organization's strengths.
• AI's emphasis on positivity raised questions for an antiracist research paradigm.
• Community-based research principles informed the team's approach to power-sharing and knowledge co-construction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the integration of antiracism theory into appreciative inquiry.
• To examine the experiences of racialized settlement workers in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To address tensions between AI's positivity focus and an antiracist framework within a Canadian settler colonial context.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative reflexivity among a cross-racial team of antiracist researchers.
• Adaptation of appreciative inquiry informed by antiracism theory.
• Qualitative study focusing on the experiences of predominantly racialized settlement workers.

Main Results:

• Critical reflexivity on racism was essential for integrating antiracism into appreciative inquiry.
• Appreciative inquiry, without an antiracism framework, may not fully capture participants' transnational knowledges or experiences outside a positive/negative binary.
• Negotiating tensions between AI's positivity and antiracist framing was crucial in a context of institutional pressure to ignore racism.

Conclusions:

• First-person action research, through critical reflexivity on racism, can expand the social justice aims of research.
• Integrating antiracism theory enhances appreciative inquiry's capacity to address power dynamics and diverse experiences.
• Modified appreciative inquiry can better accommodate complex, transnational knowledges and experiences within social justice research.