Rethinking Complexity and Facilitation in Action Research for Territorial Development: Insights from the Etorkizuna Eraikiz Think Tank in the Basque Country
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper addresses a core challenge in Action Research for Territorial Development (ARTD) processes: the growing difficulty of building shared understanding and cogenerating knowledge among actors who operate from increasingly fragmented epistemic, ontological, and communicative frameworks. Drawing on a three-year action research process within the Etorkizuna Eraikiz Think Tank (Basque Country, Spain), it asks how can insights from the action research process in the Etorkizuna Eraikiz Think Tank contribute to refining ARTD’s approach to complexity? The paper develops two contributions: an expanded notion of complexity that includes the epistemic fragmentation and a reconceptualization of facilitation as epistemic translation. These insights aim to strengthen ARTD’s capacity to engage with fragmented territorial realities.
Author: Mikel Gaztañaga Cinto
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7171782808