Participatory Research Methodologies: Development and Post-Disaster/Conflict Reconstruction [Hardcover]

Participatory research methodologies have been used since the 1970s as a tool to garner accurate information about communities in which development practitioners operate. Their usefulness as a collection of research techniques has been evident in academic disciplines such as politics, sociology, anthropology and economics, among others. This informative text assesses the use of participatory methods as a research tool in the contexts of development and reconstruction after conflict and disasters by identifying cross-cutting themes and establishing a comparative lessons-learned framework that can help inform future uses of them, both for practitioners and researchers. More importantly, rather than adopting a prescriptive perspective, this book provides a critical analysis of such methodologies. Specifically, the reader will benefit from the collation of the experiences of those who utilize participatory research methods in different countries and contexts, and from different academic and practitioner perspectives.This informative text assesses the use of participatory methods as a research tool in the contexts of development and reconstruction after conflict and disasters by identifying cross-cutting themes and establishing a comparative lessons-learned framework. Rather than adopting a prescriptive perspective, the book provides a critical analysis of such methodologies.Dr Alpaslan ?zerdem, Professor, Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies, The Enterprise Centre, ECG.2, Coventry University Technology Park, Coventry, UK and Richard Bowd, University of York, UK.'...an extremely useful addition to the literature on research methodology, and provides excellent guidance for PhD students, academic researchers and policy makers who are interested in community-level research. The range of cases - from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe - means that the work is comprehensive and will be a must read for those about to embark on fieldwork.' Roger Mac Ginty, University of St Anl³#