Community-Based Participatory Research
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Item Global foundations of community based research(0000) Tandon, Rajesh; Hall, Budd LThis paper by Dr. Budd Hall and Dr. Rajesh Tandon looks back at the origin of participatory research, tracing its evolution from the late 1970s when a small network of like-minded researchers and activists across Toronto, New Delhi, Dar es Salaam, the Netherlands, and Caracas began to challenge the foundations of conventional social science research. It highlights how this early movement grew into a globally recognized approach to knowledge creation and social change. The paper examines the emergence of international and regional networks, the establishment of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), and the development of participatory methodologies aimed at social transformation. It also reflects on the challenges participatory research faced in gaining acceptance within academia, where researchers and practitioners often struggled to bridge differences in perspective and practice. Significant developments, including the 1997 Cartagena Congress, the launch of GACER, and the 2012 UNESCO Co-Chairs appointment, marked important steps toward broader recognition. The paper argues that years of participatory research work have slowly changed how knowledge is understood, who gets to produce it, in what settings, and in whose interest. For Hall and Tandon, this shift connects directly to current conversations about knowledge democracy and what higher education institutions owe to the communities around them.Item Challenges in the co-construction of knowledge: A global study on strengthening structures for community university research partnerships(0000) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh; Tremblay, Crystal; Singh, WafaIn this paper, Budd Hall, Rajesh Tandon, Crystal Tremblay and Wafa Singh present a global study on structures that support community-university research partnerships. The study draws on an international survey and national case studies from twelve countries, examining how universities institutionalise community engagement and where this engagement connects with actual research practice. The authors turn to the discourse of knowledge democracy, arguing that community-based research offers a way to address long-standing inequities in whose knowledge counts within the academy. Survey findings point to a gap between universities' stated commitment to co-constructing knowledge and the reality that very few research projects originate from communities themselves. The paper reviews facilitative structures across universities in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and elsewhere, and considers the role of national networks and policies in strengthening these partnerships. It closes with recommendations for national policy, higher education institutions, and community and civil society organisations.Item Asian regional participatory research network: A note(1985) Tandon, RajeshDr. Rajesh Tandon's 1985 note reviews seven years of the Asian Regional Participatory Research Network, outlining its theoretical orientation and administrative structure. He argues participatory research in Asia has become part of the organized struggles of local people, challenging expert authority and helping communities build their own strength. The work has centered on five group-, workers, the rural poor, tribals, women, and urban slum dwellers, approached from a clear position alongside the oppressed rather than through debates over methods. On the administrative side, he records decisions from the December 1983 Manila meeting: regional coordination staying with the Society for Participatory Research in Asia, New Delhi, and patchy communication between regions. The note closes by asking someone else to take over as international coordinator after his three years in the post and calls for more inter-regional collaboration, possible residency exchanges, and a better networking system.Item A note on the participatory research project in the asian region(1981) Tandon, RajeshThis paper traces the rise of participatory research as a response to the limits of conventional social science, linking it to wider struggles for democracy and development. It reflects on both its potential and contradictions, framing it as an ongoing project rather than a finished method.Item The Indian urban elites: An exploratory study(0000) De, Nitish R.; Tandon, RajeshItem Development training of marginal farmers in india(1980) Tandon, RajeshThis paper by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the development training of marginal farmers in India as a case study as methods of interventions for development among rural poor communities. The paper begins by arguing for the need of developmental strategies to focus on individual development in micro settings to initiate macro development. It underlines some basic but necessary principles of training that leads to creation of awareness, knowledge, skills, as well as catalysing actions. The paper then presents a detailed case study of a three day residential training programme conducted with two peer groups from Pati and Pura villages in collaboration with Seva Mandir, an agency in Udaipur. It explains how dialogue, group sessions, and role plays were used to develop awareness of village problems, understanding of power dynamics, and confidence of villagers in organizing. The paper then concludes with listing out some important points to be considered by the trainers as part of the training programs.Item Participatory research, educational experience, and empowerment of adults(PRIA, 1985-01) Tandon, RajeshThe article by Dr. Rajesh Tandon talks about the practices of participatory research as a philosophy of subaltern knowledge systems. He states how historically, knowledge systems have been dominated by elites who maintain hegemonic control over them while negating the perspectives of marginalized people, and defines participatory research as an alternative process and method. The article goes on to trace the origins of participatory research to the practice of Adult Educators in poor communities of Asia, Africa, and Latin America and lists networks promoted by organizations that became the breeding ground for experiments in participatory research. Dr. Tandon further mentions PRIA (Participatory Research in Asia) and documents its evolution and interventions in the work of participatory research in various fields like environment, workers' education, occupational health, and women’s issues. The article ends by identifying challenges in the form of bureaucratic state institutions, statism, and emerging technologies, also placing emphasis on the role of adult education to help citizens regain their capacities.Item Participatory rural appraisal - A critique(SEARCH NEWS, 1992) Tandon, RajeshAs participatory methods have come to play an increasing role in rural development, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) came to be regarded as a rapid survey method for collecting locally-based information for planning and monitoring purposes. This paper seeks to critically review PRA by situating it in relation to its precursor, Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), and exploring the underlying assumptions of this now widely-used set of methods. The study argues that while PRA has been enthusiastically adopted by NGOs and funding agencies because of its potential to lower costs and speed up assessments, in many ways it promotes a “short cut” to understanding rural communities that makes in-depth analyses of villages processes and patterns difficult if not impossible. In addition, the paper explores the question of who benefits from PRA by suggesting that unless communities are able to define their own agenda and take charge of the process, PRA is likely to become just another form of external intervention. By raising such questions as these, the study seeks to promote further discussion on how PRA might be employed most effectively in rural development.Item Rural camps: Current assessment and future issues(National Labour Institute, 1977) Tandon, RajeshItem African regional workshop on participatory research (1-7 July): "From clarity to Anarchy – Participatory research approach"(PRIA, 1979-07) Tandon, RajeshThis paper by Dr. Rajesh Tandon discusses the methodology of participatory research approach (PRA) as a critique to another lead paper on PRA and compares it to classical research approaches. The paper starts with the critique of the classical research approach for its rigid delimitation of thinking as the only valid mode of inquiry, negating the humanity of the researcher. Further, it talks about the eclecticism of participatory research as a reflection of multiple modes of inquiry, as opposed to the narrow approach of classical research. The paper also addresses the criticism of participatory research ignoring material causation of an issue, leading to its subjective analysis. It presents joint analysis by people and researchers as a main feature of PRA. The paper concludes by stating the anarchic nature of PRA as its strength rather than its weakness.