Research Directions: Ends in Themselves: Theorizing the Practice of University–School Partnering through Horizontalidad

In this article we share our current thinking about the methodology of collaborations for change and make visible our own attempts to theorize the practice of university-school partnering. We suggest that a fruitful new direction for research may involve turning to the Global South and the Latin American idea of horizontalidad [horizontalism], with its emphasis on consensus, direct democracy and shared knowledge construction. Drawing on data from our current involvements with university-school partnerships, we examine how viewing relationships as primarily a process, rather than merely a means to achieve preconceived outcomes and products, shapes the way we think about a number of different methodological questions, including: Who poses research problems and questions?; What does it mean to “gain access” to a research site?; How (and where) do relationships matter?; And, when we value our relationships as ends in themselves, How do we navigate the evolving parameters of research? We conclude by sharing some of our own ongoing struggles and dilemmas forging partnerships for change.