African Regional Workshop of Participatory Research, Mzumbe, 2nd - 7th July, 1979 – Group Discussion on Lead Paper 1, Group 3

Abstract

This report summarizes the discussion from Group 3 during the African Regional Workshop on Participatory Research, held in Mzumbe, 2nd - 7th July, 1979. The primary focus was on the role of the researcher within development, particularly in the context of class struggle. The discussion highlighted three key themes: the researcher's commitment to class struggle, the relationship of Participatory Research (PR) to Humanism (HM) and its theoretical framework, and the connection of PR to organized struggle. The group broadly agreed that the central issue is understanding the researcher's role in the class struggle, particularly in African contexts, and debated how pre-capitalist societies could be analyzed in terms of class. The report critiques Lead Paper 1 for not fully identifying the framework necessary for PR to effectively support such research, asserting that the researchers' political commitment is paramount.