Community Knowledge

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End date: 1979

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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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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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    Rural technology and collective analysis: Improving water supplies and sanitation
    (1979) Jackson, Ted
    The late 70s witnessed the problem of the insufficient supply of water and sanitation in rural areas become a serious threat to health and everyday living. Set in this period, this paper aims to demonstrate the way in which the described issue integrated into the life of the villages and towns. In this way, the research was concentrated on the implementation of technologies and the ideas behind them and the reactions of people who were a part of the process. This paper, therefore, tries to demonstrate the importance of such projects in context of changing people’s perceptions and building awareness, rather than focusing on the scale of the innovation itself. The research, thus, raises more questions than it answers, leaving the reader amazed by the ability of one idea to change the lives of thousands of people but at the same time skeptical about the potential role of similar movements in other contexts.
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    A review: The participatory research project
    (Learning, 1978) MacNeil, Teresa
    MacNeil (1978) critically reviewed the Participatory Research Project of the International Council for Adult Education’s through an examination of three working papers by Budd Hall, Rex Jackson, and Bonnie Cain. The review focused on participatory research as a type of inquiry where communities participated in the research process. MacNeil acknowledged the contribution of the communities as active agents of change through their empowerment, learning, and exchange, as well as the research itself, and its role and relationship with social change. However, she noted several shortcomings, such as an absence of a clear methodological direction, a definition of participatory research as opposed to other types of research, and questions related to the communities’ ability to undertake action based on research. Throughout the review, MacNeil used examples, such as the Dene’s participation in the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, to illustrate her points. In the final section, she concluded that participatory research could contribute to expanding knowledge production and community participation while also recognizing the need for conceptual clarity and methodological precision to achieve these goals.
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    Participatory training and self development
    (0000) Acharya, Binoy; Verma, Shalini
    How should training be undertaken to encourage critical thinking and instill confidence in people? In this article, Binoy Acharya and Shalini Verma discuss the growing emphasis on training within the development sector while questioning approaches that reduce training to the mere transfer of information or techniques. They argue that many people, especially the poor and marginalised, experience the systematic devaluation of their own knowledge and capacities which weakens self confidence and participation. For this reason, simply providing more skills cannot by itself lead to empowerment, though external knowledge may still be useful. The focus of training, they argue, must be to foster critical thinking so that people can analyse their own realities, articulate their experiences, and identify what they need to learn further. Participatory training is highlighted as a process that breaks the culture of silence, restores faith in people’s own knowledge, and builds confidence for collective action. Social development, the authors emphasise, begins with the development of the self.
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    Knowledge as a commodity and participatory research
    ( Prospects, UNESCO, 1979) Hall, Budd L
    What is knowledge? How is it formed? Who has the authority to “make” it? and who does it ultimately serve? These are the central questions Dr. Budd Hall raises in this article. He critiques the way traditional intellectuals such as scientists and scholars, often trained in elite universities and supported by international funding agencies, are institutionally positioned as the legitimate producers of knowledge. Embedded within particular class locations, this group often produces knowledge that serves its own class interests and maintains dominant social relations. In this process, organic intellectuals engaged in critical reflection and grassroots organising are sidelined as knowledge makers. Drawing on the works of Freire, Mao and others, Hall reflects on the role of intellectuals. He advances a systematic critique of survey research and outlines the guiding principles of participatory research. The article is a critical inquiry into the nature of knowledge within the new international order. It calls for moving beyond viewing knowledge as intellectual commodities such as papers and conferences and toward recognising and valuing local and indigenous knowledge systems, while developing more decentralised ways of legitimising people as producers of knowledge.
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    Building a global learning network: The international council for adult education
    (International Council for Adult Education, 0000) Hall, Budd L
    What can we learn from the histories, tasks, and challenges of building global cooperation in adult education? In this chapter, Dr. Budd L Hall reflects on the emergence and significance of the International Council for Adult Education as a key step in strengthening international collaboration in adult learning. He traces its historical roots in post war movements for literacy, liberation, and development, and situates its formation within broader struggles for democratic participation and social justice. The chapter outlines ICAE’s early tasks, including building regional networks, amplifying voices from the Global South, and shaping global policy debates in partnership with bodies such as UNESCO. Hall also discusses internal tensions, funding constraints, and the political challenges of sustaining an independent global civil society network. By examining questions of direction, alliances, and accountability, he invites readers to reflect on how global networks can remain responsive to changing contexts while staying grounded in their transformative commitments.
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    Participatory research
    (0000) Tandon, Rajesh
    This article by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the relationship between development with knowledge and research in the context of developing countries, arguing that mainstream development strategies have largely remained Western-centric, adopting a top-down, technology-driven approach and being detached from the lived realities of marginalized communities. He critiques post-WWII development strategies as primarily dependent on knowledge that is controlled by the monopoly of elite researchers to serve the interests of those in power- under the guise of objectivity and neutrality. The article further criticises the irrelevance of sophisticated research methodologies and ethical issues that arise due to seeing humans as mere subjects, and presents participatory research as an emerging alternative. It emphasises the role of ordinary people in generating and utilising their own knowledge to bring socio-economic changes.
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    Participatory research meeting in India
    (1979-02) Tandon, Rajesh
    This report documents a Participatory Research (PR) meeting held in February 1979. It was attended by 35 activists, field workers, researchers, and practitioners from across India. It describes case studies shared at the meeting, including West Bengal's Operation Barga sharecropper registration drive, a tribal-led irrigation scheme in Rajasthan, and the mobilization of landless labourers and tribal women through Maharashtra's Shramik Sangathana. The report then turns to debates that emerged on PR's relationship to social action, the overlapping roles of researcher and activist, the risk of fostering dependency, and possible entry points for PR work, along with a comparison of PR and classical research across five guiding principles. It closes by reflecting on the empathy and self-awareness needed in a participatory researcher.