‘Alongside but not in front’

Abstract

This article starts by summarising the history of socially-engaged research on disadvantaged groups, pointing out that many of the social research methods currently in use in the field originated outside the academy, carried out by protagonists with a mission to draw attention to injustices and bring about social change. It then discusses the often-problematic relationship between researchers and the people whose working lives they research, especially in situations where the researchers are actively engaged in the struggles of their research subjects, for example when using methods such as workers’ inquiries or forms of action research. Two experienced researchers who have also themselves been active in workers’ organisations reflect on these issues in the form of a dialogue, a dialogue to which some workers who have been on the receiving end of such research respond. The article concludes by raising some further questions for future debate.