The article argues the importance of taking feelings into account in action research generally and in first-person action research especially. The article also aims at being an example of firstperson action research, as it describes and discusses some of the feelings and thoughts I got while writing the article. The point of departure is reflections about an encounter with an organization where personal feelings became prominent and difficult to handle, but where the encounter itself, including the feelings, also seemed to be an example of important organizational mechanisms. This is used to discuss the role of feelings in action research and why feelings have received so little attention. The discussion draws upon literature about learning and thinking, including feminist writings, as well as Goffman's concept of back-stage and Douglas's concept of feelings as 'matter out of place'. The article also contrasts inquiries with spontaneous living and discusses the limits of inquiries.
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