Learning from young people about their lives: using participatory methods to research the impacts of AIDS in southern Africa

Abstract

Methods of participatory research have become popular among children's geographers as they are believed to enable young people to speak openly about their lives in unthreatening contexts. In this article, we reflect on our experience of using participatory methods to explore the sensitive topic of (indirect) impacts of AIDS on young people's livelihoods in Malawi and Lesotho. We examine how different methodological approaches generate varying knowledges of children's lived realities; challenges of using 'insider' and 'outsider' research assistants; the place of group-based approaches in participatory research; and ethical issues. We suggest that researchers of young people's lives should take full account of the relationship between epistemology and methodology in selecting and employing methods appropriate to particular research questions.

Published in

Children's Geographies
2012, volume: 10, number: 2, pages: 169-186

SLU Authors

• Hajdu, Flora

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG5 Gender equality

UKÄ Subject classification

Human Geography

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2012.667918

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/38935