Investigación PAHrticipativa. Los desafíos éticos de la investigación militante en la Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH)

Abstract

This article is a comparative analysis of four activist research projects carried out in the Plataforma de Afectadas por la Hipoteca (PAH – Platform for People Affected by Mortgages), a network of more than 220 housing mutual aid groups set up across the Spanish state in the wake of the 2008 crash. Six researchers’ experiences together trace the academic dilemma of researching and simultaneously participating in the very subject of study. The authors explain the ways they addressed ethical dilemmas arising from the synergy between two worlds –academia and activism– and the way in which they balanced their loyalties in their research. This piece uses our shared reflections to explore the challenges and opportunities of carrying out research about the PAH and with the PAH, offering insight transferable to research in other social movements and other contexts.