Participatory Research with Children and Young People by Susan Groundwater-Smith, Sue Dockett, and Dorothy Bottrell

Abstract

Book Reviews 211 not yet achieved its claims to be a democracy. The former view is represented, for example, in the use of the term “civic renewal” to capture an ideologically diverse range of efforts to strengthen democracy, form racial justice organizing to service organizations such as AmeriCorps. Renewal implies that there was once something healthy that needs to be brought back. Scholars who locate themselves in a more critical literature—including de-colonial and anti-racist literatures—are likely to hear a term such as “renewal” and ask about forms of oppression, exploitation, or colonization are meant to be renewed. This critical tradition, although often allied with the liberal tradition around specific issues or campaigns, would raise concerns about the persistence of “racism without racism” (Bonilla-Silva), American’s erasure of indigenous communities (Patel, Tuck), or the possibilities of youth activism to transform the neo liberal state (Kwon). Patel’s commentary prompted me to think about this tension—and acknowledge that if I were to write the book again I might take a sharper or clearer stance on this tension in discourses about civic engagement and social movements. References Patel, L. (2014). “Countering Coloniality in Educational Research: From Ownership to Answerability.” Educational Studies 50(4): 357–377. Su, C. (2015). Participation for What? Possibilities and Tensions in CommunityBased Initiatives. Presentation at the University of Colorado, Boulder, September. Tuck, E. and M. Guishard (2013). “Scientifically Based Research and Settler Coloniality: An Ethical Framework of Decolonial Participatory Action Research.” In T.M Kress, C. Malott, and B. Porfilio, eds. Challenging Status Quo Retrenchment: New Directions in Critical Qualitative Research. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 3-27. Participatory Research with Children and Young People Susan Groundwater-Smith, Sue Dockett, and Dorothy Bottrell (2015). London: Sage, 204 pages. $48.00 (paperback); ISBN 978-1-4462-7287-9. Those of us interested in participatory research with young people hope to engage children and youth in researching the issues that impact them most. We invite young people onto our research teams because we believe their critiques on the structures and institutions that affect them are imperative contributions. Participatory Research with Children and Young People is a valuable resource for understanding, planning, engaging in, and questioning work that engages children and youth in research. Regardless of the capacity in which you work with children, this book has useful and practical ideas for engaging them in respectful and Book Reviews 212 authentic ways. Readers who are involved specifically in youth participatory research will benefit most from this handy contribution. The authors, faculty members at several universities in Australia, bring many experiences to bear on this volume, from their work in teacher education, early childhood education, social pedagogy, teaching, social work, and various additional capacities of working with youth. The book examines a wide collection of international case studies and examples of participatory work in order to offer tools and guidance on work that aims to engage young people in a process of inquiry. Refreshingly, this book simultaneously brings a critical eye to participatory work while offering supportive suggestions for doing the work. The authors provide access into the world of participatory research while scaffolding readers to think deeply about the ethical dilemmas that arise with this kind of work. Youth rights are a central focus of this book. The authors use the 1990 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to root this conversation. They look specifically at Article 12 of the convention, which states, “every child has the right to say what they think in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken seriously” (4). The authors contend that while the convention was instrumental in the discussion on rights, much has remained unchanged on the ground level within services that impact children (education, health, justice, etc.). They advocate genuine consideration of youth views on the design and implementation of these services. Context is a central theme raised throughout this work. The authors advocate looking at context as a “political ecology” of multiple systems of influence and power. They discuss how usual congregating spaces for youth (parks, shopping centers, parking lots, etc.) where they may experience agency are often locales for pushback or...