Abstract
Participation: a case study of how invaders organize, negotiate and interact with government in Lima, Peru considers what is meant by "citizen participation", especially the different meanings that the term has for the different actors involved. The discussion is illustrated by the story of a land invasion in Lima in 1971 and the compromise negotiated between the invaders and the government which led to the formation of a new settlement, Villa El Salvador. The paper outlines the changing view of participation within government between 1971 to 1980 and how this affected Villa El Salvador.