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The debt diaries : Turning participatory ethnography into action research

Kaika, Maria ; García-Lamarca, Melissa LU orcid and Siatitsa, Dimitra (2025) In Action Research
Abstract

This article examines how piloting a diary method became pivotal in transforming a participatory ethnography on household debt in Greece and Spain into full-fledged Action Research —driven and shaped by the diary-writing participants themselves. We analyse the evolving dynamics between researchers and diary authors, as an initial phase of solitary diary writing prompted the collaborative development of workshops with drama and theatre methods which, in turn, catalysed dialogue, critical reflection, and collective empowerment. These engagements not only enabled diary authors to articulate previously silenced issues around indebted subjectivity, but also repositioned them as central agents and co-researchers, enabling the research team to... (More)

This article examines how piloting a diary method became pivotal in transforming a participatory ethnography on household debt in Greece and Spain into full-fledged Action Research —driven and shaped by the diary-writing participants themselves. We analyse the evolving dynamics between researchers and diary authors, as an initial phase of solitary diary writing prompted the collaborative development of workshops with drama and theatre methods which, in turn, catalysed dialogue, critical reflection, and collective empowerment. These engagements not only enabled diary authors to articulate previously silenced issues around indebted subjectivity, but also repositioned them as central agents and co-researchers, enabling the research team to fully inhabit the role of situated Action Researchers.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
in press
subject
keywords
Action research, diary methods, drama methods/community theatre, ethnodrama, Greece and Spain, mortgage debt/ household debt
in
Action Research
article number
14767503251342748
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:105005572421
ISSN
1476-7503
DOI
10.1177/14767503251342748
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.
id
84329e39-dbbc-424b-899f-93f590365f89
date added to LUP
2025-08-18 08:19:33
date last changed
2025-08-19 11:30:08
@article{84329e39-dbbc-424b-899f-93f590365f89,
  abstract     = {{<p>This article examines how piloting a diary method became pivotal in transforming a participatory ethnography on household debt in Greece and Spain into full-fledged Action Research —driven and shaped by the diary-writing participants themselves. We analyse the evolving dynamics between researchers and diary authors, as an initial phase of solitary diary writing prompted the collaborative development of workshops with drama and theatre methods which, in turn, catalysed dialogue, critical reflection, and collective empowerment. These engagements not only enabled diary authors to articulate previously silenced issues around indebted subjectivity, but also repositioned them as central agents and co-researchers, enabling the research team to fully inhabit the role of situated Action Researchers.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kaika, Maria and García-Lamarca, Melissa and Siatitsa, Dimitra}},
  issn         = {{1476-7503}},
  keywords     = {{Action research; diary methods; drama methods/community theatre; ethnodrama; Greece and Spain; mortgage debt/ household debt}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Action Research}},
  title        = {{The debt diaries : Turning participatory ethnography into action research}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/14767503251342748}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/14767503251342748}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}