Re-envisaging research on ‘alternatives’ through participatory inquiry: Co-generating knowledge on the social practice of care in a community kitchen

This paper explores the role of participatory action research (PAR) in shaping critical
management studies (CMS) research with ‘alternative’ organisations. It looks to the
emancipatory commitments of PAR, in conjunction with its aim to generate theoretical
and practical knowledge, as a means to address recent calls for CMS to cultivate practical relevance outside the academy. I develop this argument by drawing on my doctoral research, which brings together feminist theories of care with participatory practice, to explore the engagements of a community kitchen based in the South of England. I trace how the research opened collaborative inquiry into the challenges of negotiating a politicised caring agenda in this emergency food provisioning context. I explore how it initiated efforts to democratise the communication structures of the national charity to which the community kitchen belongs, and also reflect on some of the ethical challenges I encountered along the way, relating to issues of voice, participation and the sustainability of the research outcomes.