Staying with the trouble: unpacking methodological challenges for studying insider activists and taking a stance

Kristina Lauche, Julia Borgers, Caroline Maessen and Ann Langley

Chapter 10 in Methodology to Address Grand Challenges, 2026, pp 219-253 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Studying ‘insider activists’ and how they organise is an important element in our collective methodological repertoire to understand how grand challenges can be tackled through action within organisations and at the field level. This chapter reflects on the methodological positioning and choices of conducting qualitative, ethnomethodological fieldwork on the work of such insider activists. We follow a call for activist research that responds to serious problems and involves active experimentation in conjunction with other interested stakeholders. Our approach puts emphasis on ‘being with’, which favours a set of methodological choices on understanding processes from within and practising solidarity with those pursuing the change. We distinguish three approaches – joining, helping and following the activists – and illustrate the respective challenges based on three empirical cases. In conclusion, we discuss how this approach can be applied to researching possible futures.

Keywords: Ethnomethdological Fieldwork; Qualitative Research; Insider Activists; Reflexivity; Being With; Future-Making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035314300
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035314317.00015 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:22431_10

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().