Community Knowledge

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    Participatory research: A new methodology for adult educators?
    (National Center for Research in Vocational Education, 1979) Griffith, William S; Cristarella, Mary C
    Participatory research is a term which has been appearing within the past several years in international adult education conferences and which some commentators believe has the potential of redirecting research within the field of adult education. The International Conference on Adult Education and Development held in Dar-es-Salaam in June, 1976, proposed that "all adult educators should receive training in the theory and practice of participatory research as well as in complementary quantitative research techniques" (Dar-es-Salaam Design for Action, 1976, p.32). The UNESCO program action plan for 1977-1982 includes the support of future participatory research (Hurly, 1976). Cain states "the forces producing the demand for something called 'participatory research' are numerous and compelling" (Cain, 1977, p.7).
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    Action and knowledge: Breaking the monopoly with participatory action research
    (The Apex Press, 1991) Fals Borda, Orlando; Rahman, Mohammed Anisur
    This book is the result of field work and reflection inspired in Participatory Action-Research (PAR) techniques and philosophy during the last twenty years, when this form of study-and-action was first proposed and tried. The book does not attempt the impossible task of covering the entire field. It does try, however, to underline PAR's main features as we have experienced them, illustrating them in Part II through a handful of process studies, or vivencias, from different countries. Such vivencias are expected to show why PAR is a viable ap-proach to face some of the very old problems still experienced in many parts of the world where "development" policies have been tried and found wanting. However, although the crisis of "development" and its discourse is every day more widely felt and discussed, because PAR began much before, the alternative rise of PAR should not be interpreted as a response to it. From the beginning, those who adopted PAR have tried to practice with a radical commitment that has gone beyond usual institutional boundaries, reminiscent of the challenging tradition of Chartists, utopians and other social movements of the nineteenth century. Therefore, while recognizing that ours is an ancient, permanent task, it is our hope to reach social action groups, grassroots animators, intellectuals and government officials with a constructive message adapted to present needs for social and economic change, and conducive to other options for enlightenment and awakening of common peoples-especially those forgotten, despised or left voiceless by the dominant Establishments. We are concerned with such sociopolitical problems as people's power and struggles, and with cognitive issues, such as those implied in the accumulation of different types of knowledge. The pertinent theoretical discussion is found in Parts I and III, written also with a view to undertake a dialogue with academic scholars and in particular those who consider themselves "post-modern." We want to express our appreciation to the collaborators of this book and to the many groups that participated in the experiences. Thanks are due also to the director of the Institute of Political and International Studies of the National University of Colombia, Bogotá, and to the chief of the Rural Employment Policies Branch of the International Labour Office, Geneva, for their institutional support of the present work.
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    Social movements and political power: Evolution in Latin America
    (Sage, 1990-6) Fals Borda, Orlando
    Social movements came to life again in Latin America towards 1964. Working mainly at the local level, they have been undergoing intense evolution by adopting political functions. This has been due to the concatenation of the problems faced by them in existing vacuums of power. Movements have sustained themselves in time and have expanded regionally, to the point of now adopting national stances. This is expressed in autonomous action exemplified in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and other nations. Prospects are difficult because of repression and co-optation, but unexpected resistance of the movements expresses an intense desire to achieve alternative developments and ways of life in these countries.
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    The Application of the social sciences’ Contemporary issues to work on participatory action research
    (Society for Applied Anthropology, 2008) Fals Borda, Orlando
    No one could have been more surprised than I when at the closing session of the 12th International Sympo-N sium on Action Research for Education, held at my home city of Bogotá, Colombia May 14-18, 2007 a number of delegates from Australia, Great Britain and the United States went to the podium to announce that I was the new recipient of the prestigious Bronislaw Malinowski Award of the Society for Applied Anthropology. I should travel to Memphis for this purpose. It is a motive of amazement to find my name in the honor roll together with scientists and authors of my considerable youthful reverence, the masters of my professors-a roster with names such as Gunnar Myrdal, Everett C. Hughes, Laura Thompson, Conrad Arensberg, and Margaret Clark. How did I finally fit into this sacred list? I am not going to question the criteria for choosing. My main duty, I feel, is to examine whether I merit such inclusion from the standpoint of con-tinuity and/or accumulation of science, continuing some of the basic tenets of the discipline I learned in my university years in the United States.
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    The application of participatory action-research in Latin America
    (International Sociology, 1987) Fals-Borda, Orlando
    A research methodology that combines theory, action and participation (PAR) committed to further the interests of exploited groups and classes has been initiated and tried in many Third World countries since the 1970s. PAR claims inspiration from phenomenological and Marxist trends adjusted to regional realities and factors; it challenges established academic routines without discarding the need to accumulate and systematise knowledge, and to construct a more comprehensive and human paradigm in the social sciences; and it proposes a series of techniques to combine knowledge and power without falling into the dangers of world annihilation. This is illustrated with actual field studies and projects in Nicaragua. Colombia and Mexico.
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    A case study of participatory research among farmer-settlers in Southern Phillipines
    (1980) Belamide, Eileen
    This case study examines the use of participatory research as a tool for rural organizing among farmer-settlers in Southern Philippines. The study describes a community of migrant farmers facing persistent poverty, land conflict, displacement, and violence following a corporation’s claim to their cultivated land. Participatory research was integrated into a rural organizers’ training program and subsequently applied within the village through continuous dialogue, community immersion, data gathering, collective analysis, and organizing. Local farmer-settlers were involved as research partners in identifying problems, gathering and interpreting information, analyzing the economic, political, and cultural structures affecting their situation, and developing plans for collective action. The research process emphasized that data gathering should serve community action and strengthen self-reliance rather than function solely as an academic exercise. Through the transfer of research and analytical skills to community members, the villagers developed a broader understanding of their land struggle and its connections with wider social, economic, political, and cultural structures. The process also contributed to stronger community organization, collective decision-making, self-reliance, and initiatives in areas such as economic activities and community health. The study identifies the principal outcomes as changes in the community’s perception of its social conditions and gradual changes in aspects of the village’s social organization.
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    Lambatlaya
    (Institute of Social Work & Community Development (ISWCD), 1984) Abad, Henedina; Hall, Budd L; Gawasnon, Banika; Sadulla, Jaime; Veneracion, Ma. Corazon J; Tolentino, Carmina; Freire, Paulo; Lanot, Marra P.L; Lacaba, Jose F; Tan, Rene; Torres, Amaryllis T; Magno, Neng
    This bulletin is about participatory research as an alternative to traditional social science research practice in the Philippines, particularly research “with” and “for” the people. The contributions review research practices in which professional social scientists assume total or partial responsibility for defining problems, collecting, analyzing, interpreting data, and presenting findings to poor and vulnerable communities as if they are only research subjects. This bulletin draws lessons from the authors’ varied experiences in community development, adult education, health, rural and urban organizing, and social action. Participatory research is discussed as a praxis, that is, a process of inquiry, reflection, learning, and action. Participatory Action Research, participatory conscientizing research, community participation in research, alternative approaches to research, and building community research capacity are some of the issues taken up. Emphasis is placed on people’s participation in problem definition, data collection, analysis and interpretation, decision-making, and action. The contributions also take up issues of professional researchers’ monopoly over knowledge production, people’s concepts and analysis, community organization and empowerment, connecting research with action, and people’s participation in development planning. The bulletin further raises questions concerning methodology, research evaluation, community participation indicators, scientific validity, cost effectiveness, and research linkages with development planning. The contributions are by Henedina Abad, Rene Tan, Budd L. Hall, Amaryllis Torres, Neng Magno, and Ma. Corazon J. Veneracion. This bulletin also contains bibliographic essays by Jaime M. Sedullo, Ma. Corazon J. Veneracion, and Carmina Tolentino.
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    Building capacity through action learning
    (Institute for Development Research (IDR) Reports, 1993) Leach, Mark
    The ability to learn from experience is critical for individuals and organizations seeking to be effective in rapidly changing and complex situations. Educators, corporate managers, public administrators, and grass roots activists have all been challenged by the dilemmas of learning from action and experience. While using many different terms (including action research, action science, experiential learning, participatory research, organizational learning, learning systems, etc.) these people have developed a rich and varied set of insights into facilitating what might be generally called "action learning." The purpose of this paper is to review several streams of work related to action learning (AL), and to consolidate some of the key principles in an effort to help organizations expand their capacity to develop action learning strategies. Particular attention will be paid to the relevance of action learning principles for non-governmental and community based organizations (NGOs and CBOs).
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    Participatory research in health: Setting the context
    (Zed Books, 1996) De Koning, Korrie; Martin, Marion
    Many contributors to this book assume some familiarity with concepts which may not be familiar to all health professionals. Our aim in this introduction is to set into context those issues and theoretical concepts which are frequently referred to in the text. These include educational processes based on Freire's critical pedagogy (Freire 1972), issues around difference, for example in gender, and contemporary notions of knowledge production.
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    Re-Visiting participation third course development professional from south asia countries
    (Participatory research in Asia (PRIA), 2000-09-07) Satyamurthi, V
    This paper compiled by V. Satyamurthi examines the concepts, methods, and limitations of monitoring and evaluation in development programmes. The paper traces the evolution of M&E from its origins in the 1950s UN system through the 1970s expansion of international development assistance. It critiques the conventional M&E system, arguing that it fails to capture the complex, qualitative dimensions of social change. The paper then assesses in detail, and distinguishes between monitoring as an internal management activity providing regular feedback on implementation progress, and evaluation as a broader assessment of programme appropriateness, results, and impact. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation and its key elements are presented as an alternative based on the belief that those most closely involved can analyse their own problems. The paper then outlines six categories of PM&E indicators, from group operation and management, economic performance, technical operation, financial management, group institutionalisation and self-reliance, to other considerations. The paper concludes by distinguishing three kinds of evaluation using Karl Deutsch's feedback loop framework, arguing how only participatory evaluation provides the latter two forms of feedback essential for genuine development.