An Indigenous Woman’s Reflexive Praxis in CPAR: Navigating Power, Resistance, and Shared Knowledge

The complexities of conducting research within one’s own community, particularly when navigating issues of power, identity, and activism, have been rigorously explored in a three-year critical participatory action research (CPAR) project. This groundbreaking initiative, detailed in a recent publication, involved Ethiopian-Israeli male activists residing in absorption centers across Israel. The research was led by Shula Mola, a postdoctoral researcher and teaching fellow at the Seymour Fox School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who brought her unique perspective as an indigenous Ethiopian Israeli woman to the forefront of the study. The project, documented with DOI: https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-27.3.4551, delves into the critical use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in supporting collective action and advancing community goals, while also highlighting the profound influence of participant agency and resistance.

The Research Landscape: CPAR, Indigenous Methodologies, and Digital Inequality

The study is firmly situated within the theoretical frameworks of critical participatory action research (CPAR), indigenous methodologies, and feminist research approaches. These methodologies are particularly relevant when examining power relations, digital inequality, and the intricate insider-outsider dynamics inherent in research conducted by marginalized scholars within their own communities. The keywords associated with this research—critical participatory action research, CPAR, indigenous methodologies, power relations, digital inequality, insider-outsider dynamics, feminist methodology, and Ethiopian-Israeli activism—underscore the multifaceted nature of the inquiry.

Shula Mola’s personal positionality as both an insider and an outsider was a central theme, shaping the research process in significant ways. As an Ethiopian Israeli woman, she possesses an intimate understanding of the community’s experiences, challenges, and aspirations. Simultaneously, her role as a researcher, equipped with academic training and a distinct perspective, positioned her as an external observer. This dual identity allowed for a nuanced exploration of the research questions, fostering both deep empathy and critical distance.

The project aimed to understand how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) could serve as tools for collective action and community empowerment. However, the research trajectory was not dictated by technological determinism. Instead, the participants, through their actions and priorities, frequently steered the research toward familiar and embodied practices. Public protests, a significant form of activism for the community, emerged as a dominant focus, demonstrating a preference for established methods of advocacy over purely digital engagement.

Moments of Resistance as Assertions of Agency

Mola interprets these instances where participants redirected the research away from a strictly technology-driven approach as moments of "resistance and refusal." Far from being disruptive, these moments were viewed as powerful assertions of agency. The activists, by shaping the research agenda themselves, demonstrated their active role in defining their own priorities and the most effective means to achieve them. This perspective aligns with scholars like Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang, who emphasize "refusing research" as a legitimate and meaningful act within decolonial and indigenous research paradigms.

Through these interactions, Mola identified three key insights that contribute to the understanding of CPAR as a dynamic and living methodology:

• Shared Governance of Action Cycles: The research highlighted the critical importance of collaborative decision-making and control over the iterative cycles of research and action. Participants needed to feel empowered to guide the process, ensuring that the research remained relevant to their immediate needs and long-term goals.
• Strategic Negotiation of Visibility and Safety: The activists’ engagement with public protest underscored the delicate balance between visibility and safety. While public demonstrations can raise awareness and exert pressure, they can also expose individuals to risks, including surveillance, legal repercussions, and social backlash. The research revealed how participants strategically managed their public presence to maximize impact while mitigating potential harm.
• Recognition of Refusals as Meaningful Data-in-Action: Mola’s work challenges traditional research methodologies by positioning refusals and deviations from the planned research path not as failures, but as valuable data. These "refusals" provide critical insights into participant priorities, their understanding of effective action, and their agency in shaping the research process. This approach is consistent with feminist and decolonial methodologies that value the voices and experiences of marginalized groups, even when those voices diverge from researcher expectations.

The Ethiopian-Israeli Context: A History of Activism and Absorption Centers

The research takes place against a backdrop of significant historical and social dynamics within Israel, particularly concerning the Ethiopian-Israeli community. The immigration of Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel) to Israel, beginning in the late 20th century, was often framed as a rescue operation, bringing them to a new homeland. However, upon arrival, many Ethiopian Israelis faced systemic discrimination, cultural alienation, and socio-economic marginalization. Absorption centers, intended to facilitate integration, have often been characterized by bureaucratic hurdles, limited opportunities, and a sense of being contained rather than supported.

The Ethiopian-Israeli activism that Mola’s research engages with emerged as a response to these persistent challenges. For decades, activists have organized protests, engaged in advocacy, and sought to challenge the inequalities faced by their community. These actions have often been fueled by a desire for recognition, equal rights, and an end to racial profiling and discrimination. The focus on public protest as a primary mode of action reflects a long-standing tradition of direct engagement and a strategic choice to confront injustices head-on.

The limited availability of data for download in the provided information suggests that the research is in its early stages of dissemination, with further insights expected as the project’s findings become more widely accessible.

Shula Mola: A Scholar Rooted in Experience

Shula Mola’s biographical details reveal a deep connection to the subject matter. Her postdoctoral research and teaching at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem focus on education, institutional inequality, belonging, knowledge production, and collective agency, with a specific emphasis on the knowledge and memory of Ethiopian Israelis and the Beta Israel community. Her doctoral research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, which formed the basis of this article, directly involved critical participatory action research with Ethiopian-Israeli activists. Her methodological interests, including institutional ethnography, participatory action research, oral history, and interpretive qualitative inquiry, demonstrate a commitment to research that is both rigorous and socially engaged.

Her academic background, coupled with her lived experience as an Ethiopian Israeli woman, allows her to approach the research with a unique blend of insider understanding and critical analysis. This positioning is crucial for conducting research that is both methodologically sound and ethically responsible when working with marginalized communities.

Implications for Participatory Inquiry and Decolonial Research

Mola’s work contributes significantly to ongoing debates surrounding feminist, indigenous, and decolonial approaches to participatory inquiry. By foregrounding power dynamics and reflexivity, she demonstrates how CPAR can be a powerful tool for social change, particularly when practiced by researchers who are themselves part of the communities they study.

The findings suggest that:

• CPAR as a "Living Methodology": The research advocates for viewing CPAR not as a rigid set of protocols, but as a dynamic, responsive, and contested process. It is deeply relational, emphasizing the ongoing negotiation of power and knowledge between researchers and participants.
• The Power of Refusal: The study validates the significance of participants’ refusals and diversions from the planned research. These acts are not merely deviations but active forms of knowledge production and agency, challenging the researcher’s authority and asserting the participants’ right to self-determination in the research process.
• Navigating Digital Divides: While the initial focus was on ICTs, the research implicitly highlights the persistent digital inequality that may exist within marginalized communities. The preference for embodied activism suggests that digital tools may not always be the most accessible or effective means of achieving community goals, and that traditional forms of collective action remain vital.

The article’s extensive reference list points to a robust engagement with existing scholarship in critical pedagogy, qualitative research methods, feminist theory, indigenous research, and the specific context of Ethiopian-Israeli society. Scholars such as Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Linda Tuhiwai Smith, and Stephen Kemmis are foundational to the theoretical underpinnings of this research, underscoring its commitment to critical, emancipatory, and community-centered inquiry.

In conclusion, Shula Mola’s research offers a vital contribution to understanding how critical participatory action research can be effectively and ethically implemented within marginalized communities. By embracing reflexivity, acknowledging power imbalances, and recognizing the agency of participants—even through their refusals—the study provides a model for research that is not only academically rigorous but also deeply transformative. The findings have broad implications for scholars and practitioners interested in empowering communities and challenging systemic inequalities through research that is truly in solidarity with those it seeks to serve.