action research Thef' word has everything to do with it: How feminist theories inform

ABSTRACTThis article considers how feminist theories have and can contri-bute to action research, while acknowledging some of thetensions that arise when applying and building feminist theories.While feminist theorizing undoubtedly occurs in some actionresearch, whether it is named or not, the gap appears to be inlinking local knowledge to existing theoretical frameworks.Feminist theories, even though they are always partial and con-tested, have acted as an intentional counter to dominant theo-ries about human experiences and strategies for change. Theyprompt people to ask new questions and to see power dynamicsand relationships that may otherwise be missed or misread. As aresult, they have an important role to play in any action researchwith transformative intentions. Action Research Volume 7(1): 13–29Copyright© 2009 SAGE PublicationsLos Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DCwww.sagepublications.comDOI: 10.1177/1476750308099595 ARTICLE KEY WORDS • community-basedhealth research