Processes and Methods for People Participation (PMPP)is an elective course that can be taken in the third or fourth year of the Sociology and Political Science degrees. The course lasts from February to May and is worth 6 credits.



This elective subject is designed for students who wish to acquire a basic knowledge of

participatory processes and to improve their skills in facilitating community processes. The objectives are the following:



1. To carry out a group reflection on popular participation and political power.

2. To know the approaches and methodologies that have been developed in the social sciences to facilitate popular participation and empowerment.

The main aim of the course is to provide the students with basic concepts and skills for leading

community participatory processes. The academic competences of this subject are:



1. Acquiring basic knowledge about participatory action-research as the main philosophical

and methodological approach for guiding community processes.

2. Developing the ability to lead group collaborative dynamics.

3. Improving the self-knowledge and relationship skills needed for monitoring group processes.



The key skills competences of this subject are as follows:



• Giving clear oral presentations of the results of group practices, as well as of theoretical

debates that have taken place in working groups.

• Acquiring the ability to work independently, with teacher guidance.

• Adopting a positive attitude towards listening to classmates and learning the subject, as well

as seeking to play an active role in the learning process.

• Developing the knowledge and ability to lead group workshops in English, both in the written

and oral form.

1) Practical experiences supporting people participation:

a) On the initiative of popular or grassroots movements.

b) On the initiative of public institutions.



2) Group dynamics and techniques for supporting people participation:

a) Meetings, assemblies and workshops: the contributions of dynamization.

b) Facilitating groups processes.

c) Methodologies and techniques for participation.



3) Participatory action-research: building knowledge and action collectively (processes and

product dimensions):

a) Social agents, demands and initial negotiation.

b) Opening cycle, self-diagnosis: community networks and social discourses.

c) Closing cycle: knowledge devolution and proposals for collective action.

d) Implementation of proposals and evaluation of the action-research process.



4) Methodologies and knowledge for emancipation:

a) Knowledge as a tool of power: epistemological ruptures and democratization of knowledge.

b) Social Sciences and proposals for emancipation: Popular Education, Systematization

of experiences, Reflect-Action, Theatre of the oppressed,…



5) Human agency, people participation and political power.

a) Democracy and the dialectic of power relationships. Modern State, Capitalist Market

and Community Networks in the historical context of the main oppressive systems:

Colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism.

b) Social struggles and resistances: popular initiative and grass-roots movements.

In the classroom, presentations of experiences by the teacher will alternate with the reading and discussion of short texts, and the realization of different group dynamics. In the same way, the students will carry out group exercises both individually and in pairs.

• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 40
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 30
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 30

Ahedo, I.; Martinez J.; Ormazabal, A. (2019). Gobernantza eta herritarren partaidetza. Hegoa Institutoa. Bilbao.
https://publicaciones.hegoa.ehu.eus/eu/publications/418

Martinez, Zesar; Iñarra, Maialen. “Herritarren hizkuntza-aktibazioa,prozesu proposamena”. BAT Soziolinguistika Aldizkaria 115, 2020 (2).

Martínez, Zesar; Gorostidi, Izaro; ormazabal, Andere (2023) “Parte hartze politikoa eta ekintza kolektiboa: herri-ekimenaren eta administrazio publikoaren arteko harremanak”. Demokrazian sakontzea eta parte hartzea, hainbat eskalatan. UPV/EHU

Basic bibliography

- Bianchi, Iolanda (2022) “Empowering policies for grassroots welfare initiatives: Blending social

innovation and commons theory”. European Urban and Regional Studies 00(0) 1-14.



- Bradbury Huang, Hilary (2010) “What is good action research? Why the resurgent interest?”. Action

Research, Volume 8(1): 93–109.



- Bussu, Sonia and Koen P.R. Bartels. (2014) “Facilitative Leadership and the Challenge of Renewing

Local Democracy in Italy”. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Volume 38.6,

2256–73.



- Dı́az-Arévalo, Juan Mario (2022). “In search of the ontology of participation in Participatory

Action Research: Orlando Fals-Borda’s Participatory Turn, 1977–1980”. Action Research, Vol. 20(4)

343–362.



- Wittmayer, Julia M.; Schäpke, Niko. (2014) “Action, research and participation: roles of

researchers in sustainability transitions”. Sustainability Science. DOI: 10.1007/s11625-014-

0258-4

In-depth bibliography

- Fals-Borda, Orlando; Anisur Rahman, Muhammad. (1991) Breaking the Monopoly with Participatory Action Research. Apex Press.

- Florence Nyemba; Minna Mayer. (2018) “Exploring the roots of participatory action research: An interview with Dr Marja-Liisa Swantz” Action Research, Vol. 16(3) 319–338.

- Soliz, F.; Maldonado, A. (2012) Guía de metodologías comunitarias participativas. Repositorioa
Universidad Andina Simón Bolivar. http://repositorio.uasb.edu.ec/bitstream/10644/3997/1/Soliz%20F-CON008-Guia5.pdf


- Pereda, C.; De Prada M.A.; Actis, W. (Colectivo IOE, 2003) “Investigación acción participativa: una propuesta para un ejercicio activo de la ciudadanía” paper presented at Activist Research
Conference, Barcelona. https://www.colectivoioe.org/index.php/publicaciones_articulos/show/id/95


- Martínez, Zesar; and Casado, Beatriz (2013). Acerca de opresiones, luchas y resistencias: movimientos sociales y procesos emancipadores. Cuadernos de Trabajo 60, Hegoa, Bilbao. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338897140_Acerca_de_opresiones_luchas_y_resistencias_movimientos_sociales_y_procesos_emancipadores

Journals

https://ceaal.org/v3/biblioteca-la-piragua/
https://jprm.scholasticahq.com/
https://journals.sagepub.com/home/arj

Web addresses

https://ceaal.org/v3/
http://www.redcimas.org/biblioteca/metodologia/
http://www.colectivoioe.org/
http://www.uam.es/personal_pdi/stmaria/jmurillo/recursos/inv-accion.htm
http://www.aral.com.au/
http://www.participedia.net/en/about