Editorial

This special issue seeks to shed light on collaborative and participatory approaches to qualitative research.In this moment of history, it is time to reach out globally, culturally, and beyond human existence to embrace all forms of life.Research, too, must participate in this movement by contributing to global, cultural, human, and more-than-human conversations about the future of our planet, our societies, and our communities.We need to address the political, societal, human, and more-than-human dimensions of local change.In this historical moment, reaching out is not just a metaphor-it is a methodological, ethical, and political imperative. The special issue emerges from the Danish Action Research Network conferenceReaching Out -Participatory and Engaged Research for Change, hosted by Aalborg University in November 2024.The ambition of the special issue is to gather studies from research approaches and traditions that reach out and engage in society to contribute to critical and constructive Møller et al.