Shifting Research Dynamics: Addressing Power and Maximising Participation through Participatory Research Techniques in Participatory Research

Abstract

Power dynamics in the research interaction are inevitable, particularly in research in rural contexts. Hierarchical and heterogeneous research groups, and the disproportionate power of the researcher in relation to the research participants, are some of the problems that create particular challenges for the social science researcher. Power relations within the research context also affect the way in which knowledge is generated. Participatory research (PR) acknowledges and actively addresses many of these power dynamics. Through the use of novel techniques, PR processes focus on maximising participation and facilitating the expression of multiple voices within the research context. The use of visual representations de-emphasises verbal fluency and also creates the potential for change. PR also has a specific focus on accessing the more marginalized and most disempowered sections of a community. Despite the power dynamics, PR methods enable participants to articulate, extend, and analyse their local knowledge. Using photographs of participatory activities, drawn from the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tradition, several ways in which participatory research techniques alter some of these research dynamics are illustrated, e.g. who talks and who acts in the process; whose knowledge dominates in the process; whose language is used as a medium in the process; and how is the knowledge produced. The potential of participatory research engagements to enable participation, access local knowledge, and facilitate critical reflection is discussed. The combination of these factors activates the agency of the research participants, potentially effecting change.