Participatory Research
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Abstract
During the last decade, major debate has taken place on the inadequacies of models and strategies of development initiated during the 50s and 60s. Bulk of the criticism has centred around the lien and western nature of these development models and strategies and top-down approach centred on technology and economism. It has been argued that people's participation in their own development is the only alternative towards solving major problems confronting the world in general and the developed countries in particular. As a result, now efforts have been Launched in different settings to mobilise and organize local groups to take charge of their own development through the process of collective action in their common interest. moreover, new awareness of such ongoing efforts has also developed among those concerned with the problems of development.
Description
This section critiques the Western, top-down development models of the 1950s and 60s for ignoring local needs and participation. People's participation is presented as a necessary alternative to address global and local development challenges. It emphasizes collective action and local control as key drivers of meaningful development. However, the role of knowledge—especially its control by elites—has often been overlooked in development discourse. Knowledge has become a source of power, often used to maintain the status quo
Keywords
Knowledge and Power, People's Participation, Development Models, Social Transformation, Role of Science in Development