Toward a Participatory, Agapic Research Design

Abstract

The goal of the article aims to improve the reflexivity of the researchers in designing social studies, asking them two essential questions: what kind of relationship develops between the researcher and the social actor? And what kind of ethical impact has the participation required from the social actor? To answer these questions the article opens with a brief overview of how the relationship between researcher and object of study has been analysed in epistemological and sociological studies. A particular focus is dedicated to the critical perspectives of the Sixties and Seventies. Considering in particular these, the core of the paper consists in suggesting a new research participation model based on agapic acting. The effects of this ideal type are explored by rediscovering all the practices that include a particular attention and a specific involvement of the social actor in the research process.