FYI: The attached article and the background further below might be of interest to those involved - or are intending to engage - in participatory research. It also provides an interesting historical background on Tanzania as the cradle of this then alternative research method during the heydays of Adult Education and Education for Self-Reliance. To get a glimpse of it I am copying & pasting a bit of its introductory part here:
Introduction
Participatory Research is a term which was first articulated in Tanzania in the early 1970s to describe a variety of community-based approaches to the creation of knowledge. Taken together these approaches combine social investigation, education and action in an interrelated process. The International Council for Adult Education provided a home in 1976 for what became the International Participatory Research Network, the means by which the ideas and practices of participatory research became more widely visible. Participatory research was a concept which, unlike most contemporary research paradigms, originated in the majority world. It originated in the rapidly expanding networks of non-governmental organisations in the 1980s and 90s. It has been the research approach of choice in many of the social movement interventions of the past 20 years.
Participatory research and its sister concept participatory action research have in the past 15 years been taken up in many universities around the world both as a teaching subject and as a research method for graduate studies. One might say that, participatory research has come “in from the cold”, that it has come in from the margins to become an accepted member of the academic family.
This article explores the origins of the concept of participatory research, particularly from the vantage point of my own involvement in the movement. I am most often associated with what has become known as the liberatory school of participatory action research. The purpose of this talk is also to interrogate what “coming in from the cold” really means.
The International Participatory Research Network which was associated with the
International Council for Adult Education was begun in 1976. It expanded throughout the late 1970s and 80's and was responsible for giving visibility to a set of concepts and practices which have continued to stimulate social movement and social policy scholars and activists up to today. This article is highly personal and is a first effort on my part to put into print my reflections on the early period of the network and some of the persons and issues involved. Others will have other memories which will deepen or clarify what we did in those days already 30 years ago, but here at least is modest contribution to start with
--- On Thu, 9/17/09, Marjorie Mbilinyi <marjorie...@tgnp.org> wrote:
From: Marjorie Mbilinyi <marjorie...@tgnp.org>
Subject: Fw: greetings!
To: "Usu Mallya" <usu.m...@tgnp.org>, "Tumaini Lwongola" <Ptlwo...@yahoo.com>, "schola makwaia" <schola....@tgnp.org>, "Sanze Abdallah" <sanze.a...@tgnp.org>, "Sada Shaaban" <sada.s...@tgnp.org>, "Nasim Losai" <nasim...@tgnp.org>, mil...@yahoo.com, "millicent Lema" <millice...@tgnp.org>, "Matilda Massawe" <matilda...@tgnp.org>, "Mary Nsemwa" <mary....@tgnp.org>, "marjorie mbilinyi" <marjorie...@tgnp.org>, "Lilian Liundi" <lilian...@tgnp.org>, "Lilian Kitunga" <lkit...@tgnp.org>, "Kenny Ngomuo" <kng...@tgnp.org>, in...@tgnp.org, glo...@hotmail.com, "Gloria Shechambo" <gloria.s...@tgnp.org>, "Eluka Chelu Kibona"
<gf_coor...@tgnp.org>, "Claudian Ndayi" <claudia...@tgnp.org>, assen...@tgnp.org, "Asseny Muro" <assen...@gmail.com>, "Anna Sangai" <anna....@tgnp.org>, "Anna Mushi" <anna....@tgnp.org>, "Anna Kikwa" <anna....@tgnp.org>, "Ally Nindi" <nin...@gmail.com>, "Aidan maktaba" <mwanah...@gmail.com>, "james Tumaini" <james....@tgnp.org>, "Aggripina Mosha" <aggripi...@gmail.com>, "Demere Kitunga" <demer...@infinet.co.tz>, "Edward Mhina" <gadco...@msn.com>, "Fenella Mukangara" <mukan...@yahoo.com>, "fides Chale" <fsc...@gmail.com>, "Jovita James Mlay" <mlayj...@yahoo.com>, "Jovita S Mlay" <jovi...@hotmail.com>, "Mary Rusimbi" <mary.r...@gmail.com>, "'Naomi Kahiula'" <naom...@yahoo.co.uk>, "Naomi Kaihula" <naom...@yahoo.com>, "Ngwanza Kamata" <ngka...@hotmail.com>, "Richard Mabala"
<rma...@gmail.com>, "ruth meena" <meen...@yahoo.com>, "Ruth Meena" <ruth....@gmail.com>, "subira sinda" <ssu...@hotmail.com>, zipp...@hotmail.com, "Hope Chigudu" <ho...@africaonline.co.zw>, "Chambi Chachage" <cham...@yahoo.com>
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2009, 12:01 PM
Budd Hall provides a useful documentation of the development of one strand of participatory research, initially associated with the Institute of Adult Education. This informed the early days of what later became known as animation or uraghibishi, but was later eclipsed by more activist work carried out by Jipemoyo under the Ministry of Culture [Odhiambo Anacleti, Director of Research, Tanzanian Director and Maria Swantz, Finnish Director] and Elimu ya Ufundi under Christian Council of Tanzania [Ulli Kill and Rogathe Mshana were key leaders then] .. UNICEF's animation approach in the Child Survival Development Protection programme [Valerie Leach key leader, later joined by Richard Mabala, Asseny Muro] pushed and popularised animation further at the grassroots level in the 1980s, and TGNP embraced animation from its beginning in 1992-93. By this time, participatory action research was a more satisfactory way of describing
animation, given the link between analysis and action, in line with Paulo Freire's original concept of popular education. hmmm I've rambled on, sharing my own memories of participatory action research -- animation. Marge ----- Original Message ----- From: "Maia Green" < maia....@manchester.ac.uk> To: "Marjorie Mbilinyi" < marjorie...@tgnp.org> Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 9:40 PM Subject: greetings! > Hi Marjorie > > Just saw Masuma's email. > > got this the other day from Budd Hall on action research and thought > you would find it interesting. > > Hope all is well > >
Best wishes > > Maia > -- Maia Green > Professor of Social Anthropology > School of Social Sciences > Arthur Lewis Building > University of Manchester > Manchester > M13 9PL > UK > > (44) 161 275 3995 > (44) 7977 445428
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