Two articles focusing on participatory approaches,Participatory technology development: a critique of the new orthodoxy,Participatory rural appraisal and South Africa: an interview with Robert Chambers
Item
- Title
- Two articles focusing on participatory approaches,Participatory technology development: a critique of the new orthodoxy,Participatory rural appraisal and South Africa: an interview with Robert Chambers
- Description
- In recent years there has been a growing literature that advocates various forms of participatory development. This is illustrated by the promotion of approaches/tools such as participatory rural appraisal (PRA), participatory technology development (PTD), and participatory process projects 1 These "new" approaches are fast taking on the form of a new generalised orthodoxy for solving development problems. It would seem from the perspective of some of the promoters of this orthodoxy that the problem of development is no longer one of not having the right approaches and methods, but one of getting recalcitrant policy makers, bureaucrats, academics to appreciate and adopt these new methods and techniques. My concerns with this new advocacy are that: i It does not relate to experience; ii It does not address issues of power structure and control over information and other resources in multiple and complex arenas of science and technology (S&T); iii By placing major emphasis on management approaches and tools, the new orthodoxy is cutting itself off from a critical reflective understanding of the deeper determinants of technical and social change. Unfortunately, I suspect that if this new orthodoxy does not develop a more critical reflective view of itself then, like previous dominant orthodoxies, it will soon have to develop a range of "escape hatches" to explain why these participatory approaches are not giving the results that their advocates promise.,AVOCADO series; v 06/95
- Subject
- Agricultural innovations
- Rural development -- Evaluation
- Agricultural extension work -- Research
- Agriculture -- Technology transfer -- Evaluation
- Agricultural extension work -- Evaluation
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/75076
- Creator
- Biggs, Stephen D
- Rights
- Olive Organisation Development and Training
- Rights Holder
- Olive Organisation Development and Training
- Provenance
- The item is held at the Cory Library for Humanities Research, Rhodes University, on behalf of the Labour Research Service
- Type
- text
- Extent
- 21 pages
- Format
- Language
- English
- useGuidelines
- The materials are made available explicitly for research and educational purposes. Any use of these materials must be cleared with the Labour Research Service.
- Date
- 1995
- Item sets
- General Materials
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