Development, research and participation: Towards a critique of participatory rural appraisal methods

Abstract

This article examines the theory and techniques used in participatory rural appraisal (PRA), describes the emergence of PRA as a response to conventional approaches in developmental research, and offers a critique of PRA from an anthropological perspective. It is argued that PRA is a promising alternative to conventional development research methods but has certain weaknesses which undermine its overall aims. Of central concern are assumptions about social context. The author suggests that a more critical perspective should be incorporated into PRA to overcome its present limitations.

Notes

I would like to thank Catriona Macleod, John Reynolds and Sheona Shackleton of the University of the Witwatersrand Rural Facility and two anonymous readers for their useful comments on the article. Thanks are also due to Isak Niehaus of the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand for his suggestions in the original formulation of this article.

University of the Witwatersrand Rural Facility.