Into the Unknown: Explorations in development practice

This is an unusual book for the development field: part memoir, part manual on participatory research, and part overview of development studies. All of this is infused with the personal experiences and values of Robert Chambers, the researcher and writer who over many decades has been so influential in promoting a poor-first and participatory approach to development practice. For instance, there are reflections on topics as varied as white-water canoeing, rock-climbing baboons, and jogging in unfamiliar cities, making this far from a dry academic tome.

Into the Unknown can be read in several ways. First, it is a sort of autobiography of a highly influential thinker. Chambers chronicles his varied roles: as a government administrator, an academic, a UN staffer and a Ford Foundation specialist. It is fascinating to see how his life experiences have shaped his professional thinking. Indeed there is an argument here for development practice to integrate the personal into the professional. Chambers questions the idea of neutrality in power relations, mentioning as an example the way that people began to defer to him when he moved into the role of funding body official. He urges greater humility, reflexivity and self-awareness to avoid perpetuating some of the persistent problems of development practice, such as simply not listening to the least powerful.

The book can also be read as a guide to participatory processes for generating knowledge. This section is very practical, with tips for everything from managing groups to using PowerPoint most effectively. These tips are grounded in Chambers’ work on two participatory methodologies, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and community-led total sanitation (CLTS).

Finally, the book can be read as a call to shape the future of development studies. To Chambers, this future should be founded on courage, unceasing exploration and experience-based learning. He reflects on ways to integrate these aspects into a world of abundant data and quick-changing technology. Whatever the new challenges, he argues, participatory attitudes and methods should remain at the heart of how we approach development.

More information is available at http://practicalaction.metapress.com/content/rl386726222n0g42/?genre=article&id=doi%3a10.3362%2f9781780448220.000

Further reading:

- Participatory Methods: http://www.participatorymethods.org

- Participatory Learning and Action: http://www.iied.org/participatory-learning-action

- Issue of Environment and Urbanization on participatory governance: http://eau.sagepub.com/content/16/1.toc

Book note prepared by Christine Ro