Activist Participatory Research Among the Maya of Guatemala: Constructing Meanings from Situated Knowledge

In this article, I analyze two separate experiences with the Maya in rural communities within Guatemala and discuss strengths and limitations of Participatory Action Research (PAR) within this context. These experiences are the context in and from which I explore my “situated otherness” within a praxis of solidarity and question dominant theoretical models for conceptualizing and responding to the effects of war on children. Further, I explore, with my Maya colleagues, alternative methodologies (including PAR) for “standing under” these realities from this position of “other.” I conclude the essay with a brief discussion of selected criteria that contribute to evaluating participatory strategies in PAR and a summary of current efforts to extend this praxis from situations of ongoing violence in Guatemala to more local sites, e.g., Boston, Massachusetts.