1st Edition
Latino Social Policy A Participatory Research Model
Examine alternative strategies to resolving important Latino social issues!
Latino Social Policy: A Participatory Research Model examines the failure of traditional research methods to address major social needs in Latino communities, promoting instead a participatory/action approach to research that is socially—and scientifically—meaningful. Experts from a variety of disciplines focus on nontraditional strategies that engage community residents in community-research projects, shortening the distance between the researcher and the “subject.” This unique book recounts lessons learned on conducting Participatory Action Research (PAR) in Latino communities using techniques based on anthropology, education, community health and evaluation, and urban planning.
Latino Social Policy: A Participatory Research Model addresses non-traditional methods of reducing the tension between the reality of interaction with the subject community and the academic training structures used by researchers. The book promotes a new vision and practice of research design in which the “subject” is central to the process, advocating a participatory approach to produce qualitatively different research based on community identified problems and needs. Contributors examine the value of integrating local knowledge, language, and culture into the methodological design, the ethics of conducting research in Latino communities, and the internal conflicts Chicana/o researchers face within their profession and in the field.
Topics addressed in Latino Social Policy: A Participatory Research Model include:
- community health and Central Americans in Los Angeles
- ethnography and substance abuse among transnational Mexican farmworkers
- identity and field research in Mexico
- the Latino Coalition for a New Los Angeles (LCNLA)
- researcher/community partnerships
- and much more!
- About the Editors
- Contributors
- Introduction. Participatory Action Research: A New Vision and Practice in Latino Communities
- Introduction
- A Critique of traditional Research Strategies: Objectivity, Subjectivity, and Power
- Participatory Action Research: Philosophy and Principles
- Structure of the Book
- SECTION I: CREATING A NEW VISION AND ROLE FOR RESEARCH IN LATINO COMMUNITIES
- Chapter 1. Plugging the Brain Drain: Bringing Our Education Back Home
- Connecting University and Community Through Problem-Solving Research
- Dynamics of Dichotomous Divisions: The Debate over What Constitutes Legitimate Research
- Epistemological and Methodological Limitations
- Reframing Our Research Questions
- Interactive Research
- Closing the Dichotomous Division
- SECTION II: LATINO COMMUNITY AND RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS IN PRACTICE
- Chapter 2. A Participatory Perspective on Parent Involvement
- Parent-School Interaction in Contemporary Society
- Creating a New Cultural Activity in Participation
- In the Act of Transformation
- A New Definition of Parent Involvement
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Chapter 3. Building Community, Research, and Policy: A Case of Community Health and Central Americans in Los Angeles
- Introduction
- Organizational and Community Context
- Community Partnership Methodology
- Learning from the Initiative: Challenges and Benefits
- Appendix: Selected Findings from the Needs Assessment
- Chapter 4. Critical Ethnography and Substance Abuse Research Among Transnational Mexican Farmworkers
- Introduction
- Transnational Mexican Farmworkers and Substance Abuse
- Studying Substance Abuse Among Transnational Mexican Farmworkers
- Using the Ethnographic Method to Overcome Research Obstacles
- Conclusion
- Chapter 5. Community Contexts and Chicano/a Methods of Inquiry: Grounded Research and Informed Praxis
- Introduction
- The Researcher
- Qualitative versus Quantitative Design: An Obsolete Separation
- Conceptualizing and Implementing the Research
- Problems Encountered During Research
- Conclusion
- Chapter 6. Identity and Field Research in Mexico: Lessons for Research and Social Policy for US Latinos
- Introduction
- The Identity of a Mexican/Latina Researcher in Mexico
- The Research Design
- Arranging Field Research Within the Ejido
- The Interviewing Process: The Interviewed Researcher
- Field Research and Perceived Identity in the Three Ejidos
- Changing Boundaries of My Identity According to Region
- Lessons for Latino/a Research and Policy
- Conclusions
- Chapter 7. Social Scientists, Public Housing Residents, and Action Research in a Chicano Barrio in East Los Angeles
- Introduction
- Normative Role of Researchers Who Study Communities
- Constructing Research Roles for Public Housing Residents
- Crises in the Field and Implementing Project Alternatives
- Addressing Conflicts, Contradictions, and Issues in the Field
- Maintaining Continuity Between Residents and Researchers
- Technical Considerations
- Reporting the Results of the Survey
- Conclusion
- SECTION III: RESEARCH TO POLICY AND PRACTICE—INFLUENCING LATINO POLICY AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
- Chapter 8. Community Action Research with Census Data: The Latino Coalition for a New Los Angeles, 1992-93
- Introduction
- The 1992 Los Angeles Civil Disturbances
- Rebuilding LA
- The Latino Coalition for a New Los Angeles (LCNLA)
- No Longer a Minority
- Starting the Action Agenda: Press Conference
- Creating the Data Map
- Action Research Methodology
- The Agenda Emerges
- The Aftermath
- Chapter 9. Expanding Latino Community Capacity for Sustainable Programs Through Researcher/Community Partnerships
- Introduction
- Barriers to Latino Community Funding in the Age of Accountability
- Building Organizational Capacity: Definiti
Biography
Juana Mora, David Diaz
