Abstract

USING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH TO FOSTER SOCIAL INCLUSION: ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES

Marika Morris

Although participatory action research (PAR) is in theory a very effective tool for social change, activists’ and academics’ experience with this type of research can be fraught with difficulty, division and the replication of dominant power structures. This presentation outlines the experiences of community and academic researchers across Canada in terms of the advantages and challenges of using PAR to foster social inclusion, and outlines possible solutions to dilemmas faced by researchers. This presentation builds on the author’s book Participatory Research and Action: Becoming a Researcher for Social Change, and her experience in leading workshops for community groups and academics across the country on this topic. These workshops are designed to help participants share their experiences, and learn how to do research that respects gender, racial, ethnic, and religious diversity, as well as diversity based on sexual orientation, ability and age.

Bio

Marika Morris is Research Coordinator for the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW). Her main areas of research and publication in the past 15 years have been how to best use participatory action research for social change; women, poverty and public policy; the social and economic determinants of health; violence and peacebuilding; and Aboriginal women. Her research focus is now housing and community, particularly how to build socially inclusive communities in Canadian urban settings.

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