Abstract:
This research explores community economies as a way of practicing development differently.
The community economy framework has arisen out of post-development critiques which
highlight how some development practices have discursively and practically created linear
understandings of economic development. In contrast, the community economy framework
involves highlighting the many economic practices and community assets that currently
sustain people and suggests that multiple possible pathways to improved wellbeing can be
imagined from these local beginnings. The approach seeks to prioritise neither local nor
foreign practices, but encourages critical public discussion around which activities could be
built on to improve community wellbeing. This research draws on my experiences engaging
with the communities of San Miguel and Yachakay in Bolivia between March and June 2010,
and contributes to the dialogue on the community economy approach as a way to practice
development.
I have explored how this process of negotiating research in the field affects research
outcomes. Throughout the process of exploring community economies I faced a number of
challenges in negotiating the research in the field. This thesis is grounded in feminist and
indigenous methodological approaches that recommend the researcher seek ways to
transfer power and benefits to the researched in locally relevant ways. Yet very few works
address the process of negotiation required to achieve this. My experience shows that by
uncovering this often glossed over process, insights can be gained into the complex ways the
researched assert power in research contexts, and thus assert power over research
outcomes.
This research explores the viability of researching community economies within a Masters
framework. My approach in San Miguel involved collecting data though semi-structured
interviews, informal conversations and a reflective research journal. However my research in
San Miguel was cut short. In the new location, Yachakay, I added a Participatory Action
Research approach to my methodological tool kit. Other attempts to build community
economies have involved significant budgets, experience and community engagement
periods. While my approaches to building community economies in Bolivia were restricted
by the relatively short Masters thesis timeframe, limited funding and my novice researcher
status, the experience was not completely fruitless. I believe that benefits were gained both
by researched and researcher through this exploration of community economies.
