Knowledge and social change: An inquiry into participatory research in India

Abstract

During the past decade, innovations in research methodology have been attempted in different parts of the world. These innovations have arisen out of dissatisfactions from the dominant social science research methodology that became the bulwark of all inquiry in social problems and phenomena during the twentieth century Critiques of traditional social science methodology have been made on the grounds of neutrality, objectivity and control by professionals. The recent criticism has been most sharply voiced by adult educators from the third world countries where they experienced traditional social science research methodology as alienating and dehumanising, an anti-thesis of all the principles and beliefs of adult and popular education.