CERAR has chosen to carry out research not on local populations
but with these very populations to build on their knowledge and their visions.
Participatory Action-Research (PAR) :
– integrates the population into all phases of the research, beyond needs assessment;
– reaches alternative solutions, beyond the sole implementation of ‘standard’ solutions;
– is oriented towards the maximisation of impacts, beyond direct results of projects.
Participatory action-research, given the volatility of protracted crisis situations and the constant need to adapt field knowledge, engages local actors in researching their everyday realities and translating the findings into resilience initiatives.
The action-research process simultaneously combines research with action on the ground in a permanent interface of interactions. It is mainly based on the idea that to know a social reality , one must participate in its transformation. A research or development intervention is not done ‘on’ a field but ‘in’ a field situation. In this respect, action research does not work on an object (of study) but with subjects that produce knowledge and are co-authoring the research.
Action-research shares certain values such as :
– the spirit of cooperation and social responsibility,
– the spirit of participatory democracy,
– the spirit of recognition of individual and cultural rights to strengthen and study social dynamics.