This thesis is an account of how a networking approach may assist participatory community
development.
The author undertakes naturalistic action research into how she can improve her social practice
with a view to gaining equal participation amongst university and community members in a
community development practicum.
She describes how efforts to maximize group participation are typically countered with various
forms of non-participation, analogous to a rebellion against authoritarianism. Dialogue with her doctoral peer group about tacit meanings from her personal history reveals that
she is too heavily invested in community involvement. A stance of irreverence gives her the
freedom to realize that her politically correct approach is conveying the message that "MY way
of participation is THE way". She embarks on a networking programme of action in the hope of
achieving more balanced participation. A multidisciplinary workshop and a study tour show her that openness to multiple inputs may
free people from restrictive views and problematic styles of participation. She initiates the
formation of a local network and finds that this is a more free-flowing structure that encourages
fluid problem solving among community, government and university participants. The author's original anxieties are, however, revived when networking, too, becomes entangled
in organizational complexities. She eventually realizes that she tends to base her actions on
premises of power and justice and that it may be helpful to base new ventures on information
flow and creativity instead. Her new approach to group facilitation elicits creative inputs from others. She finds that
deliberate debate of the assumptions on which collective undertakings are based releases an
awareness of alternative approaches to addressing unequal resource utilization in the commons. A review of the local Network's development over six years draws attention to networking
resources, and its uses, structuring and management. The author's experiences continuously
demonstrate that the assumptions of independence and freedom of choice may provide a more
satisfactory basis upon which to manage community participation. / Social Work / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/15790 |
| Date | 10 1900 |
| Creators | Pistorius, Anna Gertruida |
| Contributors | Rademeyer, G. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (vii, 161 leaves) |
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