Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) Methodology

Based on an expressed need in the past few years for an appropriate research methodology for colonized peoples, this article proposes a way of conducting research that is faithful to the essential tenets of the African culture. The article delineates principles of a community-based participatory app...

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Main Authors: John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan, Simon McGrath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2015-11-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015613106
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author John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan
Simon McGrath
author_facet John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan
Simon McGrath
author_sort John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan
collection DOAJ
description Based on an expressed need in the past few years for an appropriate research methodology for colonized peoples, this article proposes a way of conducting research that is faithful to the essential tenets of the African culture. The article delineates principles of a community-based participatory approach to research in Africa. After first outlining the essential tenets of a community-based research (CBR) that are relevant for research projects in Africa, the article argued that the existing CBR lacked a specifically African philosophical basis. It explained the uniqueness of the African philosophy. It then summed up the research principles based on that philosophy. Last, the challenges of conducting such a research study in Africa were outlined. Despite the African emphasis of the overall approach, this proposed methodology may be employed in similar settings where issues such as decolonization are important variables in the research strategy.
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spelling doaj.art-5603a8027c8c4811a12bc44b6a2be3ee2022-12-21T23:39:12ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402015-11-01510.1177/215824401561310610.1177_2158244015613106Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) MethodologyJohn-Okoria Ibhakewanlan0Simon McGrath1University of Nottingham, UKUniversity of Nottingham, UKBased on an expressed need in the past few years for an appropriate research methodology for colonized peoples, this article proposes a way of conducting research that is faithful to the essential tenets of the African culture. The article delineates principles of a community-based participatory approach to research in Africa. After first outlining the essential tenets of a community-based research (CBR) that are relevant for research projects in Africa, the article argued that the existing CBR lacked a specifically African philosophical basis. It explained the uniqueness of the African philosophy. It then summed up the research principles based on that philosophy. Last, the challenges of conducting such a research study in Africa were outlined. Despite the African emphasis of the overall approach, this proposed methodology may be employed in similar settings where issues such as decolonization are important variables in the research strategy.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015613106
spellingShingle John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan
Simon McGrath
Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) Methodology
SAGE Open
title Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) Methodology
title_full Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) Methodology
title_fullStr Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) Methodology
title_full_unstemmed Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) Methodology
title_short Toward an African Community-Based Research (ACBR) Methodology
title_sort toward an african community based research acbr methodology
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015613106
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AT simonmcgrath towardanafricancommunitybasedresearchacbrmethodology