Browsing by Author "Tandon, Rajesh"

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A note on the participatory research project in the asian region
(1981) Tandon, Rajesh
This paper traces the rise of participatory research as a response to the limits of conventional social science, linking it to wider struggles for democracy and development. It reflects on both its potential and contradictions, framing it as an ongoing project rather than a finished method.
A policy brief on knowledge mobilization: The power of creativity and action
(UNESCO Chair, 2022-05-11) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
This brief fits within the Data and Knowledge Production theme, but also relates to the Futures of Higher Education and the Higher Education and the SDGs themes. If we are to meet the challenges of our times, the research produced within higher education institutions and their partners needs a dramatic shift from the academic mode of knowledge production to a societal mode of knowledge production and sharing. it will require that attention be given to the creation of locally contextualised knowledge with priorities for action that affect the everyday lives of people where they live and work. The Active participation of local stake-holders---community, local governments, local business, women & youth-in co-producing and sharing the knowledge of such local solutions can be facilitated through their involvement in the research process. Knowledge mobilization (KmB) is therefore called for. Our brief provides a context for understanding the need for KmB as well as providing examples of how creative or arts-based approaches to KmB have been proven to be effective.
Action research: Assumptions and practice
(Participatory Research In Asia (PRIA), 1978) Tandon, Rajesh
This paper by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the assumptions of classical enquiry in social science research and presents the case for action research as a distinct alternative. Can social science research remain valid and relevant when it separates knowledge generation from knowledge utilization, objectivity from subjective experience, and researchers from the communities they research? The paper demonstrates how each assumption proves inadequate for understanding complex social realities and presents action research as an integrative approach that combines understanding and change. It further elaborates upon the three aspects of action research. Ideologically, it recognizes inquiry to be normative and broadens the purpose of social science to knowledge utilisation. Epistemologically, it draws from adult learning theory and embraces multiple ways of knowing. Methodologically, it advocates for transactional and participative relationships between researchers and participants. The paper then concludes by raising five critical questions challenging classical social science research in the context of countries like India.
Adult education, culture development and social movements: The contemporary challenge
( Society for Participatory Research In Asia (PRIA), 1993-04-27) Tandon, Rajesh
This article by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the challenges in adult education amidst the context of global cultural homogenization, social movements, and development, and highlights the importance of cultural identity in social transformation. Dr. Tandon describes the current global scenario as unipolar in nature, with a rise in global media that has led to the homogenization of culture and destruction of indigenous knowledge systems throughout the world, resulting in growing alienation of individuals, families, and communities. In this context, the article describes a craving within people and communities for their historical roots and identities. It also identifies a neglect in social movements since World War II, which focused primarily on economic and political issues instead of cultural dimensions of oppression and addresses the rise of new social movements in the past few decades for closure of this gap. The article concludes by linking the role of education with sustaining cultural identities urging adult educators to bring the issue of culture into development discourse.
African regional workshop on participatory research (1-7 July): "From clarity to Anarchy – Participatory research approach"
(PRIA, 1979-07) Tandon, Rajesh
This paper by Dr. Rajesh Tandon discusses the methodology of participatory research approach (PRA) as a critique to another lead paper on PRA and compares it to classical research approaches. The paper starts with the critique of the classical research approach for its rigid delimitation of thinking as the only valid mode of inquiry, negating the humanity of the researcher. Further, it talks about the eclecticism of participatory research as a reflection of multiple modes of inquiry, as opposed to the narrow approach of classical research. The paper also addresses the criticism of participatory research ignoring material causation of an issue, leading to its subjective analysis. It presents joint analysis by people and researchers as a main feature of PRA. The paper concludes by stating the anarchic nature of PRA as its strength rather than its weakness.
Against epistemicide: Decolonising higher education
(2020) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
How have knowledge systems been shaped by histories of enclosure and dispossession? In this reflective essay, Dr. Budd Hall and Dr. Rajesh Tandon examine how colonisation and the enclosing of knowledge are embedded within the same paradigm through which capital was accumulated by dispossession, as theorised by David Harvey. Drawing parallels with the enclosure movement in England, they argue that common lands were gradually privatised, displacing those who depended on them. In a similar way, wealth extracted through colonisation helped build universities that enclosed knowledge within their walls, regulating who could access it and who could legitimately produce it. These enclosures determined which knowledge systems were recognised and legitimised and which were dismissed as irrational, reinforcing distinctions between knowers and non-knowers. The essay traces how these processes continue to shape contemporary academic institutions and their authority over what counts as legitimate knowledge. In response, the authors describe the establishment of the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education as a deliberate effort to reverse the colonisation of knowledge systems by creating structures and processes for the co-creation of knowledge with social movements and civil society partners, grounded in a commitment to epistemic justice.
Asian regional participatory research network: A note
(1985) Tandon, Rajesh
Dr. Rajesh Tandon's 1985 note reviews seven years of the Asian Regional Participatory Research Network, outlining its theoretical orientation and administrative structure. He argues participatory research in Asia has become part of the organized struggles of local people, challenging expert authority and helping communities build their own strength. The work has centered on five group-, workers, the rural poor, tribals, women, and urban slum dwellers, approached from a clear position alongside the oppressed rather than through debates over methods. On the administrative side, he records decisions from the December 1983 Manila meeting: regional coordination staying with the Society for Participatory Research in Asia, New Delhi, and patchy communication between regions. The note closes by asking someone else to take over as international coordinator after his three years in the post and calls for more inter-regional collaboration, possible residency exchanges, and a better networking system.
Beyond partnerships: Embracing complexity to understand and improve research collaboration for global development
(2021) Fransman, Jude; Hall, Budd L; Hayman, Rachel; Narayanan, Pradeep; Newman, Kate; Tandon, Rajesh
While there is a burgeoning literature on the benefits of research collaboration for development, it tends to promote the idea of the ‘partnership’ as a bounded site in which interventions to improve collaborative practice can be made. This article draws on complexity theory and systems thinking to argue that such an assumption is problematic, divorcing collaboration from wider systems of research and practice. Instead, a systemic framework for understanding and evaluating collaboration is proposed. This framework is used to reflect on a set of principles for fair and equitable research collaboration that emerged from a programme of strategic research and capacity strengthening conducted by the Rethinking Research Collaborative (RRC) for the United Kingdom (UK)’s primary research funder: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The article concludes that a systemic conceptualisation of collaboration is more responsive than a ‘partnership’ approach, both to the principles of fairness and equity and also to uncertain futures.
Bridging knowledge cultures: A guide for community practitioners and community organizations
(UNESCO Chair, 2024) Lepore, Walter; Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
This guide by Walter Lepore, Budd Hall and Rajesh Tandon is about helping community practitioners and organisations build stronger research partnerships with universities. It draws on the larger Bridging Knowledge Cultures project, which studied ten K4C hubs across Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Colombia and Canada. The book explores partnerships in areas such as fishing communities, maternal health care, waste management, and early childhood education. Community knowledge is rooted in lived experience and oral tradition, while academic knowledge is typically validated through peer review and disciplinary standards, a gap that often leaves community knowledge undervalued within formal academic settings. It closes with practical recommendations for practitioners facilitating collaboration between communities and universities, pointing to trust, mutual respect, and the recognition of practices like storytelling as legitimate forms of knowledge
Bridging knowledge cultures: Rebalancing power in the Co-Construction of knowledge
(Brill, 2024) Lepore, Walter; Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
Establishing truly respectful, mutually beneficial, and equitable knowledge creation partnerships with diverse communities poses significant challenges for academia. Bridging Knowledge Cultures provides valuable insights into the dynamics involved and the obstacles encountered when attempting to establish meaningful research partnerships between different knowledge domains. This book goes beyond exploration by offering practical recommendations to overcome these challenges and forge effective collaboration between mainstream research institutions and community groups and organizations. This book includes ten compelling case studies conducted by research and training hubs established through the global Knowledge for Change Consortium. These case studies encompass community-university research partnerships across various geographical locations, tackling a wide range of societal issues and acknowledging the wealth of knowledge created by local communities. The overarching goal of this book is to inspire the next generation of researchers and professionals to embrace the richness of diverse perspectives and knowledge cultures. By advocating for the construction of "bridges" through practical approaches, the book encourages a shift from competition to collaboration in research. Ultimately, it aims to foster an environment where different forms of knowledge can intersect and thrive, leading to a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the world around us.
Bridging the gap between the researcher and the community: PRIA’s engagements in promoting community based research and social responsibility in higher educational institutions
(Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 2014) Tandon, Rajesh; Singh, Wafa; Srinivasan, Sumitra
PRIA has engaged with academia in a multitude of interventions, bringing community and practitioner knowledge into the portals of traditional research institutions and processes. By doing this, PRIA has helped Higher Educational Institutions (HEls) realize their social responsibility towards a community's needs and aspirations. This document traces PRIA's work in promoting community engagement within HEls in India and beyond. The experience, garnered over three decades, have been classified into six categories to highlight the different forms PRIA's interventions as a facilitator have taken to build bridges between the world of formal research, the practitioner knowledge of civil society actors and the experiential knowledge of local communities. The experiences discussed in this paper are not intended to be comprehensive; a few specific interventions are described under each category to illustrate the nature of the engagements fostered and the practices promoted.
Case study on the role of adult education in community involvement for primary healthcare
(1983-05) Tandon, Rajesh
Challenges in the co-construction of knowledge: A global study on strengthening structures for community university research partnerships
(0000) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh; Tremblay, Crystal; Singh, Wafa
In this paper, Budd Hall, Rajesh Tandon, Crystal Tremblay and Wafa Singh present a global study on structures that support community-university research partnerships. The study draws on an international survey and national case studies from twelve countries, examining how universities institutionalise community engagement and where this engagement connects with actual research practice. The authors turn to the discourse of knowledge democracy, arguing that community-based research offers a way to address long-standing inequities in whose knowledge counts within the academy. Survey findings point to a gap between universities' stated commitment to co-constructing knowledge and the reality that very few research projects originate from communities themselves. The paper reviews facilitative structures across universities in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and elsewhere, and considers the role of national networks and policies in strengthening these partnerships. It closes with recommendations for national policy, higher education institutions, and community and civil society organisations.
Civil engagement in higher education and its role in Human & Social Development
(Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 2007-07) Tandon, Rajesh
Over the past century the world has seen many social, economic and political transformations. It has transformed from a largely colonial era to a largely democratic one. Yet, while democratization of political culture guaranteed citizens’ rights and freedom, it did not result in democratization of learning and knowledge production. The change in education systems has been slow in the coming. Economic trends and civil society movements in the past decade have been facilitating changes in perceptions of what constitutes ‘knowledge’ and in redefining the mission and mandate of HEIs. With increasing demands on HEIs to scale up their teaching and research functions, HEIs are facing new challenges of contributing to human and social development. The meaning and agenda of human and social development has also changed over decades, and new civil society actors have been closely associated with this phenomenon. This chapter looks at how the engagement of civil society organizations with the world of higher education has resulted in interesting trends in social policy formation and knowledge production. Illustrated through examples of effective engagement between higher education institutions and social and human development efforts of civil society organisations – PRIA in Asia and The Afrikan Multiversity in Africa – the paper draws lessons from these interventions, highlighting future potentials for HEIs. Exploring alternative sources and modes of learning and knowledge production, the paper provides a vision of the possibilities that engagement with civil society can open up in terms of contribution of HEIs to social and human development in the coming decades.
Collaborative participatory research in gender mainstreaming in social change organizations
(Participatory research in Asia (PRIA), 2006-11-19) Tandon, Rajesh; Farrell, Martha
Unequal gender relations in societies, specially developing countries, have been focus of development programmes for decades. Much of this focus has been on changing gender relations in communities. However, organisations - governmental and private also reflect similar patterns of gender relations. Advocacy for gender mainstreaming in organisations has had limited success due to prescriptive approach. PRIA has adopted a learning process approach to gender mainstreaming in development NGOs in India. Collaborative Research methodology has been utilized towards this end. This paper describes one such case and draws implications for future research and practice.
Commentary on the progress report on the futures of education
(UNESCO Chair, 2020-04-24) Tandon, Rajesh; Hall, Budd L
Community based participatory research & sustainable development goals
(the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s IdeaLab, 2017) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
In this report, Dr. Budd Hall and Dr. Rajesh Tandon explore the role of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The authors contend that addressing the social, economic, and environmental challenges within the SDG framework demands knowledge production approaches that go beyond what conventional academic research offers. Higher education institutions, with their considerable intellectual, physical, and digital resources, are seen as well-placed to generate locally relevant and actionable knowledge through socially responsible research. CBPR is discussed as a collaborative and participatory approach that brings together universities, communities, civil society, and policy actors in equitable partnerships, with an emphasis on co-learning, capacity building, and social change. The report also considers how higher education institutions can integrate CBPR into their research work through locally grounded and community-driven methods. It closes with recommendations for universities, policymakers, funding agencies, and civil society organizations on building stronger institutional support for CBPR in the pursuit of the SDGs.
Community engagement as a way forward for sustainable rural societies
(UNESCO Chair, 2017-09-22) Singh, Wafa; Tandon, Rajesh
With over 70% of the Indian population residing in villages, it can be said that it is the 'villages, where the heart of India resides. Despite such a large rural population, the unsustainable socio-economic conditions plaguing our rural societies, even after 70 years of independence, is nothing short of a distress situation. This calls for immediate actions for improving rural conditions, and for this to happen, higher education, historically recognized as 'public institutions', needs to step in. With the sea of knowledge and resources at its disposal, it can ably pursue the agenda of sustainable development of rural societies. One of the potent tools for making this happen is community engagement. The core purpose of such engagement is to serve mutual interests of universities and communities alike. In practice, this can be executed in several ways such as engaged scholarship practices like service-learning, community based participatory research etc., with the initiatives focused on specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the rural context. This paper makes the case for such engagement for ensuring the creation of sustainable and self-reliant rural societies.
Community engagement in higher education institutions: Status report 2015
(UNESCO Chair, 2015-04) Tandon, Rajesh; Singh, Wafa
Community participation
(2000) Tandon, Rajesh