The Ideal Society Workshop: an experiment in creating a new method that contributes to reclaiming Participatory Action Research for emancipation, critical consciousness and citizen power.

Abstract: Action Research, Participatory Action Research and participatory methods have faced a number of criticisms, including that they do not actually involve citizens or create social change, and that they are tokenistic. This thesis develops and tests a new participatory method that contributes to a democratic and emancipatory PAR that responds to these criticisms and the shortcomings of current methods. The Ideal Society Workshop, a 3- hour, small group workshop with a focus on creativity, asks participants, ‘What would your ideal society look like?’. It combines deliberative discussion from the Northern PAR tradition, a focus on emancipation and conscientization (critical consciousness) from the Southern PAR tradition, and the creation of knowledge in the form of utopian future possibilities from Critical Utopian Action Research. Data in the form of the content and the interaction within these sessions was analysed. The findings include that utopian futures were created and everyday knowledge brought up, valuable deliberation took place on both the individual and group level, and that some level of conscientization (critical consciousness) was displayed, although in a limited form. The Ideal Society Workshop was experienced as enjoyable and valuable by participants but also has some limitations and areas in which it can be developed.