When did sociologist Orlando Fals-Borda name his method Participatory Action Research (PAR), and what were the epistemological implications of this shift from action research to PAR? To address these questions, this article critically examines Fals-Borda’s ‘participatory turn’ —his epistemological shift from orthodox Marxism to the participatory paradigm—, which squarely underpinned the origins of PAR yet has hitherto remained unexplored in the literature. The article focuses on Fals-Borda’s transition from participation “by” to participation “with” the people, which occurred during a period of intense self-criticism after years of radical activism. Drawing on exhaustive archival research, it examines the collaborative systematisation of his method alongside an emerging constellation of participatory research practices. Thereby, it highlights the centrality of collaboration to the development of his work and demonstrates that Fals-Borda’s embrace of the participatory paradigm stemmed from rejecting the centrality of historical materialism in favour of a model of research which supports and sustains the conditions for collective analysis and action through harnessing the creativity and wisdom of marginalized peoples. It concludes that for all the innovations in tools and techniques of action-oriented methods, the ontology of participation is what fundamentally differentiates PAR from other instrumental or top-down forms of people’s participation in research.
Scholars of the renowned Colombian sociologist and cofounder of participatory action research Orlando Fals Borda (1925–2008) have generally acknowledged that both his Presbyterian upbringing and his friendship with the Catholic priest Camilo Torres strongly influenced his thinking and writing. An examination of the way this religious background appears in his early academic writing both extends and refines this more conventional view by considering how his involvement in religious matters influenced his understanding of what social change was and hence of his role as a sociologist committed to it. Analysis of the complex network of knowledges and relations articulated with regard to Fals Borda’s involvement with religious matters during a crucial stage of his intellectual history sheds light on the close relation between ethics, social research, and politics at the basis of participatory action research. Eestudiosos del reconocido sociólogo colombiano y co-fundador de la investigación acción participativa Orlando Fals Borda (1925-2008) suelen reconocer que tanto su educación presbiteriana como su amistad con el sacerdote católico Camilo Torres influyeron fuertemente en su pensamiento y escritura. Una investigación de la forma en que este trasfondo religioso aparece en su escritura académica temprana extiende y refina esta percepción un tanto convencional al considerar cómo su participación en asuntos religiosos influyó en su comprensión de lo que implicaba el cambio social y, por lo tanto, de su papel como sociólogo comprometido. El análisis de la compleja red de conocimientos y relaciones articuladas en torno a la participación de Fals Borda en asuntos religiosos durante un período crucial de su historia intelectual arroja lluz sobre la estrecha relación entre la ética, la investigación y la política que forma la base de la investigación acción participativa.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.