Why Are Things As They Are? Action Research and the Transformation of Work and Education in the Neoliberal Age

Abstract

What we understand about the world is determined by what the world is, who we are, and how we conduct our inquiries.Action research privileges the question “why are things as they are?” This article explores how neoliberalism, with its key principle that competition is the defining characteristic of human relations, reshapes our work as educators and researchers,  and discusses how action research can help us not only better understand our world, but also resist the deleterious effects of neoliberalism on our work and workplaces.