Doing Participatory Action Research in Times of Neoliberism

During last decades Participatory Action Research (PAR)/Community Based Research (CBR) have developed as a prominent approach to social research and learning based grounded on a dialogical and dialectic methodology and epistemologies. The development of this approach respond to disciplinary tensions within the complexity of social sciences and to challenges and dilemmas arising from direct research discourses and practices. Academic literature related to these factors abounds, whereas wider societal issues that significantly contribute to determine the evolutions of both are much less explored. Nevertheless, one might find it hard to say the overall societal context within which they evolved hasn’t changed since the early days of PAR/CBR; or maybe there are new articulations that have enriched the PAR/CBR without challenging dominant epistemologies. In this presentation, authors will introduce some levels of discussions of the implications societal changes have vis-à-vis theory and practice of PAR/CBR, notably by referring to present context within which – willing or not – all actors classically involved in PAR activities (researchers, citizens, practitioners, policy makers) act in arenas that are strongly marked by dominant epistemologies. Discussion will follow based on reference to practical action research experiences about ways to work out coherent and effective practices aimed at positive social change.