Arrona Etxaniz, AinhoaLarrea Aranguren, Miren2026-04-142026-04-142018Arrona, A., & Larrea, M. (2018). Soft resistance: balancing relationality and criticality to institutionalise action research for territorial development. En Action Research in Policy Analysis: Critical and Relational Approaches to Sustainability Transitions (pp. 134-152). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315148724-12978113855382810.4324/9781315148724-12https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14454/5635This chapter explores the dynamic between relationality and criticality in Gipuzkoa Sarean, an action research project in the Basque Country, Spain. Specifically, it delves into the relationships between action researchers and policy-makers when co-generating the processes that led to the creation of a new governance model for territorial development. The learnings discussed in the chapter identify this dynamic as soft resistance, the conflict-based and agreement-oriented relationship between the critical and the relational roles of researchers and practitioners that can institutionalise new models of governance among territorial actors.engbook part2026-04-14