Teachers College Press Just Research in Contentious Times: Widening the Methodological Imagination

Product Description In this intensely powerful and personal new text, Michelle Fine widens the methodological imagination for students, educators, scholars, and researchers interested in crafting research with communities. Fine shares her struggles over the course of 30 years to translate research into policy and practice that can enhance the human condition and create a more just world. In lively conversations with W.E.B. DuBois, Gloria Anzaldúa, Maxine Greene, and Audre Lorde, the book examines a wide array of critical participatory action research (PAR) projects involving school push-outs, Muslim American youth, queer youth of color, women in prison, and children navigating under-resourced schools. Throughout, Fine assists readers as they consider sensitive decisions about epistemology, ethics, politics, and methods; critical approaches to analysis and interpretation; and participatory strategies for policy development and organizing. Just Research is an invaluable guide for creating successful participatory action research projects in times of inequity and uncertainty. Review Fine reawakens the spark that initially brought us to research and reminds us of the importance of doing work with a broader purpose. In her world, PAR not only leads us to a better understanding of the world around us but also spurs us on to join with movements for social change and liberation. The perspective she outlines--and the poetic voice she brings to the table--would be a welcome addition to any undergraduate or graduate course in the research methods.--Psychology of Women QuarterlyMichelle Fine's text, Just Research in Contentious Times: Widening the Methodological Imagination, is a compelling and poignant read that includes a balance of self-reflection, theory, and practice. With powerful metaphors and poetic prose, her writing is as enjoyable as it is thought-provoking.--Teachers College Record About the Author Michelle Fine is a distinguished professor of critical social psychology, women's studies, and urban education at the Graduate Center, CUNY.