Stream 7
Doing research with cooperatives
Stream leads: Justine Ballon (HEC Montréal), Maude Léonard (UQAM)
Stream committee: Justine Ballon (HEC Montréal), Florian Barès (Université-Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines and URQR), Jean-Luc Chautagnat (Manufacture coopérative and Social & solidarity Economy Chair, Lyon 2 University), Maude Léonard (UQAM)
Description:
The magnitude of the environmental, social, economic and political issues at stake calls for support for the cooperative movement in its role of social transformation: changing the production system and mode of development to reduce the ecological footprint of human activities, while respecting biodiversity and meeting the aspirations and needs of members and the wider community, in a perspective of democratic, fair and inclusive transition. In other words, revisit the cooperative utopias of yesteryear to produce, work, organize, decide, consume and think differently. And if capitalism has demonstrated its longevity and capacity to adapt, so has the cooperative movement. This is thanks in particular to its ability to maintain an instituting dynamic in the face of the instituted, supported by a cooperative identity and principles that determine the production, organization and governance of cooperatives. For Jean-François Draperi (2007, p. 68), heir to Henri Desroche (1990), thinker of action research, this tradition is fundamental in the social economy, because “dissociated, the enterprise movement and the thought movement no longer make sense: deprived of its theoretical critique, of its confrontation with values, the enterprise becomes trivialized; deprived of experimentation, of confrontation with reality, thought sclerotizes or is reduced to an artifact”.
What is cooperative action research? It's a research approach characterized by a double movement of enterprise and thought, associating research with action, leading to the production of knowledge of a dual nature: practical and scientific. As participatory action, it involves the association of cooperators and researchers in carrying out the research. In cooperatives, action research is a practice that can contribute to their social and economic development. The practice of action research can nurture cooperatives' capacity for social transformation (Manucoop, 2015).
We use action-research in a wide sense to include participatory research, engaged research, activist research, collaborative research, partnership research, research inspired by pragmatism in the form of social inquiry, etc. (Fontan, 2011; Gillet & Tremblay, 2017; Chevalier & Buckles, 2017). They are all pertinent to consider for the purpose of this call.
To pursue the goal of social transformation, there is a need to consider the importance of integrating spaces, times and devices favoring at the very least reflexivity on one's actions, analysis of practices as a whole (what it brings, what they do wrong, how to improve them) and through research to better understand one's practices by stepping back, comparing them with other experiences, beyond the borders of one's territory, sector, country, continent (Ballon & al., 2018; Battagalia & al., 2015; Bodet et al., 2024). It is also what fosters the creation of spaces conducive to inventiveness, learning, training, creation, experimentation and tinkering (de Jong et al. 2019).
With this in mind, this call for papers aims to take stock of the theoretical approaches, experiences, practices and mechanisms and tools of action research that are mobilized in the cooperative movement. It will also highlight the contributions, limits and tensions of this type of research. We hope to gain a better understanding of how action research, contributes to social transformation and the emancipation of those concerned, particularly in the context of the socio-ecological transition (Chevallier & Noûs, 2021; Bodet et al., 2024). In connection with contemporary reflections on epistemic justice (Godrie et Soulet, 2024), we will explore the capacity of action research in cooperatives to participate in the production of plural knowledge, including work on researcher-actor relationships.
“Cognitive justice (or epistemic justice) recognizes the right of different forms of knowledge to coexist but adds that this plurality must go beyond tolerance or liberalism and advocate an active recognition of the need for diversity. It demands recognition of knowledge not only as methods, but also as ways of life. Knowledge is seen as rooted in an ecology of knowledge where each knowledge has its place, its claim to a cosmology, its meaning as a form of life.” (Visvanathan, 2016).
Here are some questions to guide the papers:
What are the theoretical approaches to action research in cooperative settings? What practices are involved? What methods are preferred? What tools (e.g. animation, discussion) are most often used?
How are relationships organized between those involved in research, and in particular between researchers and stakeholders? How is the planning, management and conduct of the research organized: what is the role of whom? How is the planning, management and conduct of the research organized: what is the role of whom? What room is there for negotiation, discussion and debate on the conduct of the research?
How does this research contribute to the production of scientific knowledge, practical knowledge and action? How can we work together, taking into account each person's availability and interests?
What are the challenges faced by cooperatives when it comes to action research? And how do they do so?
How do these approaches contribute to social and economic development?
Which cooperatives are using this approach to develop?
What difficulties are encountered in the course of action research?
How does cooperative action research contribute to greater epistemic justice? How do it contribute to the production and valorization of plural knowledge?
How can we enhance the relevance of action research approaches in both academic and cooperative settings?
We invite all those who are involved in action research with cooperatives, as actors and/or researchers, to come and present their research approaches.
The aim of this session is to nurture a community of practice to share our experiences, to share our experiences, tools and theoretical approaches, as well as to take stock of what's being done around the world.
References:
Ballon, J., Bodet, C., Bureau, M.-C., Corsani, A., de Grenier, N., & Desgris, A.-L. (2018). La investigación como herramienta de cambio democrático : La experiencia de dos cooperativas de actividades y de empleo. Revista Del Centro de Estudios del Trabajo, 10, 7‑37.
Ballon, J. (2023). Récit d’une recherche-action participative avec trois coopératives : Une démarche scientifique et transformative. Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research, 14(2), Art. 2. https://doi.org/10.29173/cjnser627
Ballon J., Blondeel T., Chevallier C., Pletschette O., (2023) Bringing democracy to life in cooperatives: ongoing experiments. The cases of Railcoop and SmartCoop, Innovating in cooperative governance - governing cooperative innovations, International cooperative alliance, Jul 2023, Leuven (BE), Belgium. https://hal.science/hal-04576634
Battaglia, Massimo, Lara Bianchi, Marco Frey, et Emilio Passetti. 2015. « Sustainability Reporting and Corporate Identity: Action Research Evidence in an I Talian Retailing Cooperative ». Business Ethics: A European Review 24 (1): 52‑72. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12067.
Bodet C., Lamarche T., Pochon C. & Michalon S., (2024), Émancipation, travail autonome en coopératives d’activités et d’emploi: anatomie d’une recherche-action, SMART, APCM.
Chevalier, J. M., & Buckles, D. J. (2019). Participatory Action Research : Theory and Methods for Engaged Inquiry. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351033268
Chevallier, M. et Noûs, C. (2021, juillet). How useful is research on cooperatives? Reflection based on 3 double-cap situations. Cooperatives in transition facing crisis ICA CCR Europe 2021. https://hal.science/hal-03288618
De Jong, G., Fajardo Rojas, M. A., & Almeyda, G. (2019). Grounding participatory action research in rural Colombia : A demonstration study on youth financial inclusion. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 38(2), 184‑197. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2019.1579262
Desroche, H. (1990). Entreprendre d’apprendre, d’une autobiographie raisonnée aux projets d’une recherche-action. Editions ouvrières.
Draperi, J.-F. (2007). Fondements éthiques et posture épistémologique de la recherche en économie sociale. Revue internationale de l’économie sociale, 303, 67‑82. https://doi.org/10.7202/1021548ar
Godrie, B., & Soulet, M.-H. (2024). Savoirs pluriels : Vers de nouvelles configurations épistémologiques et politiques. SociologieS. https://doi.org/10.4000/11ulr
Hall, B. L., Godrie, B., & Heck, I. (2020). Knowledge Democracy and Epistemic In/Justice : Reflections on a Conversation. The Canadian Journal of Action Research, 21(1), Art. 1. https://doi.org/10.33524/cjar.v21i1.516
Heck, I. (2024). From Participatory Research to the Co-construction of Actions – Reflections on how to Reinforce Action Research for Social Inclusion. IJAR – International Journal of Action Research, 20(1), Art. 1. https://www.budrich-journals.de/index.php/ijar/article/view/44428
La Manufacture coopérative. (2014). Faire société : Le choix des coopératives. Éditions du Croquant.
Visvanathan, S. (2016). La quête de justice cognitive. https://scienceetbiencommun.pressbooks.pub/justicecognitive1/chapter/en-quete-de-justice-cognitive/