Workshop Report
Presentations were given by:
- Gudrun Lachenmann, (University of Bielefeld, Germany) on 'knowledge and participation – methodological reflections from a gender perspective
- Christine Muller (University of Bielefeld, Germany) on 'conceptualising knowledge: reflections on research and social change in Ghana'
- Wendy Harcourt (SID): 'Confessions of a border crosser: at the limites of disciplines, missions, passions and languages';
- Gabriella Rosetti (University of Ferrera, Italy): 'Producing and comparing (gendered) knowledge on prevention and resolution of conflicts'
- Charlotte Martin (KIT, the Netherlands); 'Acts of Translation: reflection on action research and policy'
- Saskia Wieringa (ISS, the Netherlands): 'Creation of Knowledge on Women's Sexuality in Indonesia: a research, training and advocacy programme in relation to the prevention of HIV/AIDS infection
The discussion at the workshop covered a wide range of issues. Participants cautioned against the romanticisation and politicisation of concepts, such as the traditional society or the community and against the victimisation of particular groups, such as the poor and the women. This romanticisation and politicisation has a discursive as well as political dimension.
Several participants emphasised the need to question our own choice of methodologies, to pay more attention to methodologies which are chosen from a perspective of responsibility, reciprocity and ethics. In this respect one should pay more attention to the potential of action research which is politically informed, transformative and theory-based. The positionality of the researcher is considered very important in this respect.
Another recurrent theme was the idea that women can constitute an universal body of agents with similar interests and motives. The participants stressed that there is not homogeneity in the interests of women because women as a group are not homogenous, for example they are different in terms of class, caste, ethnicity and this should be recognised in research and policy formulation. However, if we want to do taken these differences into account, we need to create more knowledge on the linkage between gender relations and caste, class or age differences; about inclusion and exclusion, and about the political dimension of power. We need a deeper understanding of women's lives and realities and their voice. Human agency was mentioned several times, but it was also acknowledged that agency is not always deliberate and strategic.
One of the main questions was related to the general feeling that development paradigms sometimes prevent a real discussion of the concepts. The participants indicated that there is a dilemma between being part of the system and wanting to change the system. Knowing that social (and political) construction of knowledge is not specific for our time, it still leaves open the question of how to challenge political interpretations of concepts more successfully; and how to move from action research to policy transformation. Based on this, the theme for the conference in Ljubljana (19-21 September) was chosen to be 'transformations of development'. The papers for the workshop will be published as a Working Paper of the Technology and Development Group during the summer. For more information, contact Irna van der Molen (p.vandermolen@tdg.utwente.nl) or Joy Clancy (j.s.Clancy(AT)tdg.utwente.nl).
