Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia

This chapter highlights the value and limitations of participative development employed in the implementation of an ICT-based research and development project in the Kelabit Highlands of Central Borneo. The first section describes the reasons for e-Bario project and why participative development,...

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Main Author: Poline, Bala
Other Authors: Steyn, Jacques
Format: Book Chapter
Language:English
Published: IGI Global 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10034/1/Rethinking%20methodology.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10034/
http://www.igi-global.com
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spelling my.unimas.ir.100342022-09-20T06:47:40Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10034/ Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia Poline, Bala H Social Sciences (General) HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform T Technology (General) This chapter highlights the value and limitations of participative development employed in the implementation of an ICT-based research and development project in the Kelabit Highlands of Central Borneo. The first section describes the reasons for e-Bario project and why participative development, with a strong emphasis on the anthropological methods of immersion and Participatory Action Research (PAR), has been adopted as development approach in Bario. In the second section I interrogate participatory development as practiced in the e-Bario by bringing to light a number of problematic aspects of the participative technique, in which conflicts have arisen over the development process, and the interpretation of participation itself has been vigorously questioned. Later, I propose a relational view of the participative process, which suggests a shift of focus from technology to people and social relations. My argument is that a relational perspective of participative process can open up a social space for local people and developers to identify, cultivate and establish social relationships both within and beyond a project’s framework. It is these bonds of trust and obligation, developed and sustained over the longer term, that have allowed the Kelabit and the researchers to work out their social relationships to one another in matters concerning e-Bario. DOI: 10.4018/ IGI Global Steyn, Jacques van Belle, Jean-Paul Mansilla, Eduardo Villanueva 2011 Book Chapter PeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10034/1/Rethinking%20methodology.pdf Poline, Bala (2011) Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia. In: ICTs for Global for Global Development and Sustainability:Practice and Applications. IGI Global, Hershey, New York, pp. 1-18. ISBN 978-1-61520-997-2 http://www.igi-global.com
institution Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
building Centre for Academic Information Services (CAIS)
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
content_source UNIMAS Institutional Repository
url_provider http://ir.unimas.my/
language English
topic H Social Sciences (General)
HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
T Technology (General)
spellingShingle H Social Sciences (General)
HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
T Technology (General)
Poline, Bala
Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia
description This chapter highlights the value and limitations of participative development employed in the implementation of an ICT-based research and development project in the Kelabit Highlands of Central Borneo. The first section describes the reasons for e-Bario project and why participative development, with a strong emphasis on the anthropological methods of immersion and Participatory Action Research (PAR), has been adopted as development approach in Bario. In the second section I interrogate participatory development as practiced in the e-Bario by bringing to light a number of problematic aspects of the participative technique, in which conflicts have arisen over the development process, and the interpretation of participation itself has been vigorously questioned. Later, I propose a relational view of the participative process, which suggests a shift of focus from technology to people and social relations. My argument is that a relational perspective of participative process can open up a social space for local people and developers to identify, cultivate and establish social relationships both within and beyond a project’s framework. It is these bonds of trust and obligation, developed and sustained over the longer term, that have allowed the Kelabit and the researchers to work out their social relationships to one another in matters concerning e-Bario. DOI: 10.4018/
author2 Steyn, Jacques
author_facet Steyn, Jacques
Poline, Bala
format Book Chapter
author Poline, Bala
author_sort Poline, Bala
title Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia
title_short Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia
title_full Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia
title_fullStr Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project: From Participatory Methods to a Relational Approach to ICT for Rural Development in Sarawak, East Malaysia
title_sort re-thinking methodology through the e-bario project: from participatory methods to a relational approach to ict for rural development in sarawak, east malaysia
publisher IGI Global
publishDate 2011
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10034/1/Rethinking%20methodology.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10034/
http://www.igi-global.com
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score 13.211869