Reviewing the Transformative Paradigm: A Critical Systemic and Relational (Indigenous) Lens

Abstract

In this article I re-examine the tenets of the transformative paradigm as explained by Mertens in various publications. Mertens suggests that the transformative paradigm (as she names it) encapsulates the positions of researchers who question positivist/postpositivist- and interpretivist/constructivist-oriented approaches, which to date have been ascendant in the field of social research. She argues (following critical theorists) that researchers embracing a transformative paradigm as an alternative explicitly bear social justice issues in mind so that their inquiries become intertwined with a political agenda and are action-oriented towards generating increased fairness in the social fabric. In the article I consider her arguments and I add additional angles to them with reference to a number of authors (including myself) advocating critical systemic thinking-and-practice and advocating Indigenous systemic approaches. I consider some implications of the revised understanding of the transformative paradigm (and its relationship to ‘‘other’’ paradigms) for operating as a researcher.