Participation in Human Inquiry

Used
Paperback
1994
$3.39

This book explores research as a collaborative process - researching with and for people, rather than on people. In particular, it addresses the central questions: What is the nature of participation? How can participative relationships and processes be established and sustained in human inquiry?

In the first part, Peter Reason outlines a theoretical foundation for understanding participation and undertaking participative research. He discusses the emergence of a world-view that is holistic, pluralistic and egalitarian and sees human beings as co-creating their realities through participation. He also stresses the importance of discovering ways of living in more collaborative relationships with each other and with the wider ecology, with participative approaches to inquiry being one part of this quest. The second section presents examples of participative research in action. The contributors give accounts of their processes of research - the aims of the inquiries, the nature of the collaborations that took place, and the particular issues and learning involved.

Synopsis

This book explores research as a collaborative process - researching with and for people, rather than on people. In particular, it addresses the central questions: What is the nature of participation? How can participative relationships and processes be established and sustained in human inquiry?

In the first part, Peter Reason outlines a theoretical foundation for understanding participation and undertaking participative research. He discusses the emergence of a world-view that is holistic, pluralistic and egalitarian and sees human beings as co-creating their realities through participation. He also stresses the importance of discovering ways of living in more collaborative relationships with each other and with the wider ecology, with participative approaches to inquiry being one part of this quest. The second section presents examples of participative research in action. The contributors give accounts of their processes of research - the aims of the inquiries, the nature of the collaborations that took place, and the particular issues and learning involved.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd
Published: 13 Dec 1994
ISBN 10: 080398832X
ISBN 13: 9780803988323

Media Reviews

`For the last 15 years, Peter Reason has been developing a democratic model of research where researchers organize a group of people to study a phenomenon of concern to them, regardless of their educational background. Labelled `human inquiry', we have always had more theoretical justification of the process than actual description. In this book Peter Reason once again provides the rationale, and then invites six human inquiry practitioners to describe the experience in particular projects. In a concluding chapter, Reason summarizes what he learned from these examples. Although no instance is `perfect', each gives us food for thought about how human inquiry can actually take place to enable people from all walks of life learn about things that mean a great deal to them after they have left school. Now it is up to all of us to find ways of improving the process, applying it in diverse contexts, and reporting on what we have learned to one another.' - Shulamit Reinharz, Professor of Sociology and Director of Women's Studies, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

`I like the fact that the emphasis here is on research with people rather than on people. I appreciated the clear structure to the book where in Part One Reason builds his arguments for his view of participatory enquiry through three chapters. Then there is a sequence of chapters by different authors describing an interesting variety of projects set in a diversity of contexts. These contrasting accounts provide the reader with a strong sense of the flavour of this research approach and make very absorbing reading. Although the book deals with very complex ideas the language is clear and readable throughout, making both research and thinking about research appear accessible to all and bringing to life the projects and ideas discussed' - Management in Education

`If you are at all interested in humanistic approaches to research, whatever they may be called, this is an essential book to have....The examples are fascinating, all six of them, and run the gamut of possible set-ups in a very helpful way' - Self & Society

Author Bio

I retired in 2009 from an academic career at the University of Bath in which my primary contribution was to the theory and practice of participatory action research. I was Director of the Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice (CARPP) and co-founder of the MSc in Responsibility and Business Practice. In these programmes we pioneered graduate education based on collaborative, experiential and action-oriented forms of inquiry.