Cornwall's Participation Reader, which brings together some of the most insightful writings on the discourses, politics and practice of participation in development since the 1960s, is a valuable document of record. The articles are lively, well written and provide the necessary critical engagement with one of the most contentious but often taken for granted ideas in development. The Participation Reader is certain to become a must read for all students, teachers, researchers and practitioners of development.
Dzodzi Tsikata, University of Ghana
Andrea Cornwall has created a powerful go-to volume on participation encompassing foundational literature, thoughtful reflections on processes and theories, insightful critiques and inspiring descriptions of participatory initiatives. Citizens, organizers, students and researchers will return to The Participation Reader again and again for grounded analyses of the problems and possibilities of "participation".
Louise Fortmann, Berkeley
This volume is a compelling and critical look at both the concept and practice of participation, a topic that has been afflicted, in the words of one its contributors, by "popularity without clarity". It is a comprehensive effort at advancing clarity, and offers convincing analyses of the oversimplification, depoliticization, and instrumentalization that has characterized the debates and discourse on participation in recent times. With an impressive array of writers, including leading participation theorists and practitioners from around the world, we are led systematically through definitions, principles, methodologies, case studies and critiques, and emerge with sharper conceptual and strategic insights for advancing the democratization project.
Srilatha Batliwala, Scholar Associate, Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)