ABSTRACT
Research involving people and relationships, both individual and group, needs to be aware that essentially people relate to each other as human beings who come with different experiences, values, assumptions and expectations of self and others. My stance as a researcher is shaped by the nature of the relationship that exists between the participants and oneself, both individually and within a group. Narrative action refl ection (NAR) workshops were created as a research method and strategy for social change, which arose from a realization that there was a need for a participatory method that combined action learning cycles and narrative inquiry. Such an approach would generate data about collective experiences of oppression and marginalization. The research process needs to address, and be cognisant of, the experiences of segregation, inequality, poverty, discrimination and oppression experienced by the participants; the daily uncertainties within a context characterized by poverty and marginalization. The process of challenging oppression requires particular forms of shared wisdom. Stories are shared as a collective, rather than on a one-to-one basis. These listening spaces allow multiple voices around different themes to emerge, which then enable participants to identify individual and collective actions over time.
