Collaborative and Participatory Research in Urban Social Planning and Restructuring: Anthropological Experiences from a Medium-Sized Canadian City

Abstract

The main claim of this article is that anthropologists have advantages by maintaining generalist, non-specialist, or rover roles in applied urban research. These strengths are related to current policy contexts where public sector deficits compel many jurisdictions to restructure and integrate the components of government and non-government human service delivery at the local level. The author elaborates on these claims through discussions of anthropological contributions and potentials regarding perspectives, issues, and methodologies associated with needs assessments, health promotion, and collaborative and participatory/action research. These, and other implications, are illustrated through five research and policy involvements in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a city of 188,000. The projects included: a multi-component community needs assessment for the local United Way, participation in a social planning council with an emphasis on social indicators and child well-being, participation in a health promoti...