Participatory Action Research: Challenges and Rewards in Fifteen Field Lessons

This chapter is a distillation of my own experiences of participatory action research (PAR) in Zimbabwe, divided across five broad themes. Of course, I share some of my expectations and the tools I adapted, but also my own limitations as the process unfolded. The enduring lessons that stand out continue to resonate in my work today, not least: the need to remain true to the emancipatory ethic of PAR; being mindful of any unintended consequences of interventionist approaches; constantly being alive to one’s own assumptions; and respecting the time and needs of participating co-researchers. As such, this chapter hopes to encourage others to immerse themselves in, and fully embrace the messiness of PAR as a lesson in re-humanising our work in ways that transcend the notion of ‘the field’ as if divorced from our own reality.