This thesis examines different ways the process of participation is manifested in Venezuelan Bolivarian primary schools. I argue that the notion of participation in development is contested and has been oversimplified by both advocates and detractors. Using the Venezuelan study as an example, I show that in the same project of participatory development both problematic and positive elements of participation will exist. Problematic elements of participation address inadequate understandings of 'community', question the process of consensus building, and highlight the role of proximity to power centers. Promising developments in the Venezuelan case include incorporation of social programs into the schools, new educational quality indicators, and the establishment of a relationship between school curriculum and local development efforts. As these problematic and promising elements simultaneously occur, I suggest that a different approach to evaluating participation in a development context is necessary. This approach, theorized by social geographers, suggests that analysis of how the space of participation emerges would be more beneficial for assessing the merits of participation. From this perspective, continued study of participatory processes might move beyond the current oversimplification.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-01042008-122904 |
| Date | 29 January 2008 |
| Creators | Rhodes, Matthew D |
| Contributors | Dr. Clementina Acedo, Dr. John Myers, Dr. Michael Gunzenhauser |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-01042008-122904/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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