ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the development of participatory research, and examines the debates and dilemmas within it. It aims to accusations of 'tyranny' made by Cooke and Kothari in 2001 and the rebuttals of Hickey and Mohan some years on. The chapter establishes what participatory research means by action, whether it can truly fulfil its social justice claims, and what can it realistically claim to impact upon. It shows how participatory research can address issues of power, groupthink and the 'tyranny of the articulate'. In the process concern around issue identification, stakeholder identification and trust building will be to be foregrounded. The chapter develops a framework for reflective practice that can accommodate the necessary paradigm shifts, but at the same time can create new knowledge. An important aspect seems to be the space in which the critical reflections are operationalized and sustained.
