Research Trend of Critical HRD in AHRD Conference Proceedings 2009-2021

In this study, we intend to capture diversified and pluralistic views on intellectual territory of CHRD. The central research questions is how CHRD research could be categorized through research papers in AHRD conference proceedings, which enables us to look at the meaning of CHRD on a discursive aspect. For this study, AHRD website (https://www.ahrd.org) was selected and a total of 232 papers included in the proceedings of AHRD international research conference in the Americas in 2009-2021 were collected. As a result, the ten topics are presented using LDA-based topic modeling and intertopic distance map makes five categories with the combination of individual topic as follows; (a) Topic 1 and 8 lie in the first quadrant. They represent understanding and meaning making in HRD with critical perspectives, (b) Topic 6 and 9 lie in the second quadrant. They advocate the nature of CHRD by challenging the status quo in HRD theory and practice. (c) Topic 4 and 7 lie in the third quadrant. They seem to be loosely tied development with organizing/managing in the textual surface, but we propose they show us variation in conceptualizing development in HRD. (d) Topic 2 and 5, Topic 3 and 10 lie in the fourth quadrant. The former covers identity issues, the latter social justice and recognition. In conclusion, CHRD researchers need to embrace multiple truths, politics, emancipation, iconoclasm, complexity as attributes of CHRD concept.