Participatory Action Research as Site of Student Agency, Social Transformation, and Resistance in Puerto Rico

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Participatory action research (PAR) is a “critical epistemology that redefines knowledge as actions in pursuit of social justice” (Cammarota & Fine, 2008, p. 6). As a collaborative endeavor, PAR pushes against traditional research relationships, favoring collaboration, horizontality, and solidarity. This session presents findings from two undergraduate research courses at a college campus in Puerto Rico that incorporated PAR methodology. One of these projects sought to understand the cultural, medical, and social issues that arose after hurricane Maria. The other sought to understand the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of the urban hub adjacent to the college campus. Both projects shed light on the challenges the Puerto Rican archipelago faces as a result of colonialism, austerity measures, and a delicate infrastructure.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Action Research

Chair

• Julio Cammarota, University of Arizona

Papers

• Collaboration as Resistance: Building Solidarity Through Participatory Action Research - Aurora Santiago Ortiz, University of Kentucky

• Oral History as Recuperation of Collective Memory and Feminist Methodology - Michelle Roman, University of Puerto Rico - Cayey

• Shifting From Resiliency to Resistance: Youth Participatory Action Research at the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey - Julio Cammarota, University of Arizona; Regina J. Deil-Amen, University of Arizona

• The Influence of Government Negligence on the Way People Experienced Essential Services in Hospitals, Clinics, and Pharmacies After Hurricane Maria - Deyaneira Laboy, University of Puerto Rico - Cayey

• Psychological State Before, During, and After Hurricane Maria - Genesaret Flores Roque, University of Puerto Rico - Cayey