Abstract
This chapter tells a story of research practice, highlighting the joys and trials of conducting participatory action research (PAR) in various settings. I begin by providing an overview of PAR as an approach to research. I then share some stories of doing PAR during apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, including reflections on policy research and development work, and community-based participatory research (CBPR) in rural and urban contexts. This is followed by reflections on my participation in PAR, with a focus on promoting action, fostering participation, addressing power differentials and managing the emotional labour of this kind of work. I conclude this chapter by raising some burning questions emerging from my research work.
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Lazarus, S. (2018). Participatory Action Research Practice and Social Policy Engagement. In: Power and Identity in the Struggle for Social Justice. Community Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99939-5_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99939-5_4
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