For the institution or for the community?: toward an anti-oppressive research praxis in conducting participatory action research

Participatory action research has the goal of democratizing knowledge to inform individual and collective action. Photovoice, an arts-based method within the broader PAR landscape, provides a lens for exploring community strengths and needs with the purpose of social change. Research demonstrates photovoice’s utility in inciting social change with and for communities, yet concerns arise over the lack of participant voices in the analysis, writing, and dissemination of the projects leaving us to question, “Is our research for the institution or for the community?” This conceptual article extends PAR scholarship about conducting an anti-oppressive research praxis by drawing on the lived experiences of two uni-researchers and two co-researchers and their use of praxis across two separate photovoice research projects. We describe three key principles in conducting an anti-oppressive research praxis and conclude with implications for practice and research.