Connecting relational wellbeing and participatory action research: Reflections on ‘unlikely’ transformations among women caring for disabled children in South Africa

Abstract

Participatory action research (PAR) is a form of community-drivenqualitative research which aims to collaboratively take action toimprove participants’lives. This is generally achieved throughcognitive, reflexive learning cycles, whereby people ultimatelyenhance their wellbeing. This approach builds on twoassumptions: (1) participants are able to reflect on and prioritizedifficulties they face; (2) collective impetus and action areprogressively achieved, ultimately leading to increased wellbeing.This article complicates these assumptions by analyzing a two-year PAR project with mothers of disabled children from a SouthAfrican urban settlement. Participant observation notes,interviews, and a group discussion served as primary data. Wefound that mothers’severe psychological stress and the strongintersectionality of their daily challenges hampered participation.Consequently, mothers considered the project‘inactionable’.