Knowledge Democracy / Participatory Research

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://192.9.200.215:4000/handle/123456789/123

Welcome to the Knowledge Democracy / Participatory Research Community. This community serves as a comprehensive repository of resources on participatory approaches, community-based research, and collaborative inquiry methods. Our mission is to foster knowledge sharing and support initiatives that empower communities to contribute to research, ensuring their voices shape the knowledge that impacts their lives.

Explore a wealth of materials, including case studies, policy papers, training guides, and research publications that highlight the practice and principles of participatory research worldwide.

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Start date: 2010

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 168
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    Reconnecting society and science: Trajectories of the knowledge democracy movement
    (Sage, 2026-02-12) Tandon, Rajesh
    As interrelated global wicked problems increasingly engulf all sections of life on this planet, searching for knowledge solutions to address them has become urgent. While scientists in modern science establishments (labs) are busy finding answers to COVID (and other pandemics) and climate disruptions, communities and societies continue to struggle and use their own wisdom and capacity to find meaningful measures for local adaptations. This disconnect between societal actors and science has become critical. So, professional science communicators have critical responsibilities for rebuilding mutually respectful connections between society (and its diverse actors) and science. How can science communicators play such important roles in bridging society and science? Let me illustrate the ways it is being attempted in diverse contexts.
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    The knowledge for change consortium: A decolonising approach to international collaboration in capacity-building in community-based participatory research
    (Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d’études du développement, 2021-11-11) Lepore, Walter; Hall, Budd L; Lepore, Walter
    Two questions guide this work: (1) How can academics and community-based knowledge workers contribute to the achievement of the UN SDGs through the co-creation of knowledge that is locally contextualised and globally significant? (2) What are the practical challenges of creating university-community research and training partnerships aimed at developing research skills and capacities that will help address the UN SDGs through participatory approaches to knowledge creation? We answer these questions by analysing the Knowledge for Change (K4C) Consortium on training community-based participatory research. We present lessons and challenges associated to the development of K4C and provide recommendations to help create effective community-university research partnerships that contribute to the attainment of the UN 2030 Agenda.
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    The next gen project: A global study on training, teaching and learning community-based research (CBR)
    (The Canadia Association for the Study of Adult Education (CASAE), 2016-07) Lepore, Walter; Tandon, Rajesh; Hall, Budd L
    While policies and practices regarding the creation of structures to facilitate community-university research partnerships are emerging and there is a rich literature on methodology of CBR, little research has been done at a global level on the training opportunities for building capacities in CBR within universities and community organisations. This led the UNESCO Chair in CBR and Social Responsibility in Higher Education to undertake the Next Gen project to analyze the current state-of-the art in pedagogies and strategies for building CBR capacities. This paper synthesizes the main findings of the project and proposes a series of pedagogical principles for the training of CBR.
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    Resource guide: Video collection of training in community-based research
    (UNESCO Chair, 2016) Jin, Jingsi; Tremblay, Crystal; Harris, Leila
    This resource guide provides a summary of videos on key topic areas related to teaching and training materials for Community Based Research from around the world. This guide is the outcome of research conducted by the UNESCO Chair in Community-based Research SSHRC funded project ‘NextGen’ between 2013-2016.
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    Bridging knowledge cultures: Rebalancing power in the Co-Construction of knowledge
    (Brill, 2024) Lepore, Walter; Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
    Establishing truly respectful, mutually beneficial, and equitable knowledge creation partnerships with diverse communities poses significant challenges for academia. Bridging Knowledge Cultures provides valuable insights into the dynamics involved and the obstacles encountered when attempting to establish meaningful research partnerships between different knowledge domains. This book goes beyond exploration by offering practical recommendations to overcome these challenges and forge effective collaboration between mainstream research institutions and community groups and organizations. This book includes ten compelling case studies conducted by research and training hubs established through the global Knowledge for Change Consortium. These case studies encompass community-university research partnerships across various geographical locations, tackling a wide range of societal issues and acknowledging the wealth of knowledge created by local communities. The overarching goal of this book is to inspire the next generation of researchers and professionals to embrace the richness of diverse perspectives and knowledge cultures. By advocating for the construction of "bridges" through practical approaches, the book encourages a shift from competition to collaboration in research. Ultimately, it aims to foster an environment where different forms of knowledge can intersect and thrive, leading to a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the world around us.
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    Participatory research: Where have we been, where are we going? – A dialogue
    (UCL IOE Press, 2017-07) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
    Rajesh Tandon and Budd Hall, the UNESCO Co-Chairs in Community-Based Research, have worked together on the theory and practice of participatory research since they first met in Caracas, Venezuela in 1978. This article is a conversation between the two of them that took place in New Delhi, India in 2015. It covers the creation of the concept of participatory research, a coming to awareness of the importance and power of local knowledge, the creation of the International Participatory Research Network and their thoughts on some of the challenges facing community and academic partners today. Of note is the fact that the early roots of participatory research were found in the global South, specifically in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Of further interest is the fact that for the first 20 to 25 years, participatory research was a discourse located almost entirely outside formal academic circles but rather in social movement structures and civil society circles.
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    Background document for the University of Victoria Task Force on civic engagement
    (University of Victoria, 2017-09-15) Dragne, Cornelia
    The purpose of the report is to identify and review the best strategies used by other universities to coordinate their civic/community engagement practices, as they are reflected in the literature dedicated to the topic. The focus of the report is on North American universities. The report seeks to: 1)present a brief background on university-community engagement 2)identify universities that promote civic/community engagement, case studies of coordinating models in place 3)identify evaluation methodologies 4)identify principles and structures that could serve as a model for UVic, lessons learned and recommendations in the literature.
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    Mobilisation des connaissances de la communauté et du milieu universitaire en vue d’un changement en profondeur : L’évolution de la Chaire UNESCO sur la recherche communautaire et la responsabilité sociale en enseignement supérieur [Mobilizing community and university knowledge for transformative change: The evolution of the UNESCO Chair in community-based research and social responsibility in higher education]
    (Commission canadienne pour l’UNESCO, 2017) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
    La Chaire UNESCO sur la recherche communautaire et la responsabilité sociale en enseignement supérieur a été créée en juin 2012 dans la foulée de la 2e Conférence mondiale de l’UNESCO sur l’enseignement supérieur, qui s’est déroulée à Paris en juillet 2009. Rajesh Tandon, Ph. D. et Budd Hall, Ph. D., ont été nommés cotitulaires de cette chaire. Cet article retrace les origines de la chaire et examine les contributions apportées jusqu’à ce jour ainsi que les leçons stratégiques que l’UNESCO, les décideurs politiques, les praticiens et les universitaires peuvent en tirer.
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    De fracaso y frustración en el trabajo de campo: cómo asumir la ética de la representación en la investigación participativa [Of failure and frustration in field work —how to assume the ethics of representation in participatory research]
    (Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca, 2013) Oslender, Ulrich
    La investigación participativa ha vuelto a la agenda por estos días. Sin duda en la academia convencional ha cobrado mayor aceptación que por allá en la década de 1970, cuando Orlando Fals Borda y otros desarrollaron lo que se dio a conocer como Investigación-Acción Participativa (IAP). Los consejos de investigación muestran cada vez mayor interés en financiar propuestas de investigación en colaboración, al parecer deseosos de escuchar y aprender de las experiencias de grupos subalternos. Lo sorprendente quizás es que muchas de estas investigaciones se reinventan hoy sin referencia siquiera al trabajo pionero de Fals Borda y otros. Otra carencia en los debates metodológicos se refiere a la falta de enfrentar abiertamente problemas de fracaso, decepción o frustración que el académico-activista pueda haber experimentado en el trabajo de campo. En este artículo, quisiera reflexionar sobre una experiencia de investigación en colaboración en la que participé y considerar de manera crítica aquellas situaciones que generaron alguna decepción personal, mostrando así las limitaciones en el campo de la investigación participativa. Hasta ahora me he abstenido de escribir sobre esto, pues plantea problemas éticos significativos en la posible identificación de sujetos de investigación, que hacen parte de esta historia. Sin embargo, creo que es solo mediante el examen crítico y abordando los fracasos y las frustraciones de las agendas de investigación en colaboración que pueden evitarse tales disgustos en el futuro. Cómo escribir sobre estos fracasos es una cuestión que no se responde fácilmente.

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