origins of modern luddism

participatory research

to be truly participatory, participants need a say in the design of the research
question the role of researcher and why that gives privilege
give other voices more space, thinking about knowledge production through the research
consider co-design and co-research, shifting agency
working with partner networks, local communities, community advisory boards, autonomous collectives
knowledge as co-creation, not control
decolonial, emancipatory, iterative
benefitting the communities involved and not just your own career
consultation -> collaboration -> co-creation
requires genuine commitment and is intensive on time, resources and facilitative skill
does the primary researcher remain the primary stakeholder or is it completely non-hierarchical? a spectrum of approaches from researcher-led to community-led
Sustainable engagement and long-term relationships over extractive consultation

sharing power, credit and responsibility
feeding back
intentionally engaging others in your work
negotiation and compromise
roles and hierarchies
if you’re not willing to lose some of your power you’re exerting your power
paternalism
to learn from participants - how they expect input to correspond to communication and what they’re inclined to talk about, to describe, explain etc
form it will take, prototyping testing early on

PAR cycle (observe-reflect-plan-act)

Mentions

“The ethos behind participatory action research, involving consultation and participation processes, is not for researchers to adopt the responsibility of improving each individual’s and family’s life. Instead, if individuals, families, communities and institutions including governments are interested in improving, or could be convinced to improve, then researchers and practitioners can use participatory action research to facilitate, support and assist the parties’ own actions. (Kelman, Lewis, Gaillard, & Mercer, 2011, p. 65)” (Thomas, Eggins & Papoutsaki, 2016)
“For communities, the collective watching of video material means the negotiation of shared meanings and understandings. It creates an opportunity to discuss perceptions within a group. […] Knowledge is put out in the open, and through collective viewing, everyone is brought on the same level for discussion.” (Thomas, Eggins & Papoutsaki, 2016)
- on sharing outcomes
“part of a broader commitment to shift the dominant paradigmatic view that keeps the academy and community separated: to acknowledge the multiple dimensions that constitute and form the human condition—physical, emotional, spiritual, social, cultural—and the myriad ways of engaging in the world—oral, literal, visual, embodied.”- (Knowles and Cole, 2008, p.60) ” (Thomas, Eggins & Papoutsaki, 2016)
“Action research starts “from an orientation of change with others” rather than the change of others (Reason & Bradbury, 2008, p. 1). Participants, researchers, and community members in this case engaged in processes of cyclic action from observing, reflecting, planning, and action. The situational characteristic of action research allows for the evaluation of individual and community transformations, revealing how knowledge is processed and constantly (re)formulated within the discourse of culture (see Gegeo & Gegeo-Watson, 2002)” (Thomas, Eggins & Papoutsaki, 2016)

References

Thomas, V., Eggins, J., & Papoutsaki, E. (2016). Relational Accountability in Indigenizing Visual Research for Participatory Communication. Sage Open, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015626493

Resources

Participate - A critical investigation into the relationship between participation and empowerment in design for development

better interfaces

Notes

interfaces driven by human need, hardware taking cultural-political stance, interface branch of tech-for good
organic connections through soft-body tech
consider combining epaper combined with efabric, and what it is that is useful about these new materialities, and looking into others
fabric environmental sensing and computing
E-textiles for assisted communication, extensible custom systems
interactive learning mediums through physically embodied tech
- early years educational resources that are digitally enhanced, safe (and durable?)
interfaces developed through participatory methods
ux research to the extreme, from initial conception to continued testing and improvement
consider eg indie tech with considerable consumer participation

ethical tech and tech for ethics

split this into two - they mean different things

institutional power

Mentions

“Elite campuses serve as the pipeline of individuals who will later control all the major institutions of American society”⤴️