Participation and other ethical considerations in participatory action research in post-earthquake rural Haiti

Abstract

This article offers reflections on work with rural peasant organizations in Haiti to build capacities to engage in participatory action research (PAR) and sustainable community recovery and development after the 12 January 2010 earthquake. Specifically, it is based on the perspectives of an engaged scholar who has conducted ongoing research and transnational recovery and development projects in collaboration with rural disaster survivors. Drawing from Pretty's framework for participation, the researcher engages in a retrospective analysis using critical ethnographic methods to problematize the processes seeking to make transparent the ethical tensions around participation, power, language, gender/race/class, outcomes, and institutions.

El Trabajo Social relacional: una perspectiva para rastrear la configuración socioambiental del riesgo de inundación en los asentamientos precarios

“…Los diversos problemas ambientales, como el cambio climático y los desastres naturales, han demandado la intervención del Trabajo Social. Esto se evidencia en la atención humanitaria durante y después de los desastres realizada por trabajadores sociales; por ejemplo, el trabajo realizado con organizaciones rurales campesinas en Haití para desarrollar capacidades en la investigación acción participativa y la recuperación y desarrollo sostenible de la comunidad después del terremoto de 2010 (Pyles, 2015).…”

“…También se ha demostrado la relación entre pobreza y desastres (Fothergill y Peek, 2004). El Trabajo Social, por su parte, ha participado con su hacer en la atención humanitaria de estos eventos, proponiendo acciones de atención psicosocial y de redes de apoyo (Dominelli, 2014;Pyles, 2015;Pyles, 2017).…”

The Role of Identity in Motivating and Shaping the Experiences of Social Work Participatory Action Research Scholars

“…We argue that PAR/CBPR is consistent with an idealized version of social work as defined by our profession’s values and that it provides a practical path forward for realizing these values in both social work practice and research. Application of PAR/CBPR in social work research is emerging, with recent examples in international disaster relief (Pyles, 2015), food insecurity (Jacobson & Rugeley, 2007), and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth-led community change (Wernick et al, 2014). These examples of PAR/CBPR, like the settlement house tradition, have sought to engage individuals and communities in addressing structural oppression and local concerns.…”

The Gendered Long-Term Recovery Priorities of Internally Displaced Persons in Post-Earthquake Haiti

“…Fourth, there are barriers or enabling factors that affect people's participation that go beyond the boundaries of organizations that serve the public. Most of the public participation literature in public administration focuses on how laws and regulations, trust in government or in the public, the type and timing of participatory mechanisms or the social construction of the public by policymakers affects participation (Agarwal, 2001;Cornwall, 2003;Ganapati & Ganapati, 2009;Hetherington & Husser, 2012;Pyles, 2015).…”

“…IDP participation in the long-term disaster recovery process means different things to different people based on their prior participatory experiences. Researchers posit that several factors such as power, legitimacy, the urgency of action, and trust exist and thus drive the participation (or nonparticipation) of citizens in the long-term recovery of post-disaster communities (Agarwal, 2001;Cornwall, 2003;Ganapati & Ganapati, 2009;Pyles, 2015). The power factor in the participatory context includes the processes and institutions created by governments, NGOs, and international agencies for stakeholders to influence the decision-making process.…”