PARTICIPATORY METHODOLOGIES: Grounding the 'Alternative Paradigm'

Abstract

Based on the work of Paulo Freire and Orlando Fals Borda, a number of non-governmental organizations in Latin America have adopted participatory methodologies as an alternative to previously used models for 'Development'. An important underlying principle of these methodologies is the issue of social transformation. Drawing from recently completed fieldwork in Northern Chile, this paper presents a view of these practices on the ground, and brings the relationship between theory and practice into focus.