Joanne Rappaport

The history of Latin American social science is only beginning to be written, as the archives of early- and mid-twentieth century ethnographers increasingly become available. Little attention has been paid to recent methodological experiments, such as participatory action research and other collaborative approaches that have exerted substantial influence on how Latin American researchers work today, making Latin American social science different from its northern counterpart. This project traces the development of participatory research methods by Colombian sociologist Orlando Fals Borda in the early 1970s through examining the archives of his research on the Colombian Caribbean coast in collaboration with the National Association of Peasant Users (ANUC).