Listening to the People Living in Poverty. A Manual for Life History Collection

Attachment

LPP_2005.pdf

11x1mw77n-1c7/b0bsl79jx59rwtw7lr978psshbdk7tsxlb1w4wlpmfhprmt/LPP_2005.pdf

Description

The primary objective of the project is to build an understanding of the issues of poverty, marginalisation, exclusion, deprivation and injustice, primarily from the raw material of the experiences and perceptions of the people living through these conditions. In other words, by listening to their voices, we hope to gain a range of invaluable, and new insights, about what people living in these conditions are actually experiencing, seen from the lenses of their own perceptions. They would also provide us with insights into their coping mechanisms, how they view external players and forces as well as the social actors with whom they interface, what are their aspirations, and if and how they feel these aspirations can be actualised.

An important consideration in the conduct of a study around the concept of "Listening to the Poor" is the choice of a methodology, which would effectively capture the voices of the poor and yet be rigorous and academically acceptable. To achieve this end, it was decided to use the "life history" methodology, which is best suited to achieve the objectives of the project. This methodology allows the poor and marginalised to decide which stories, happenings, events in their lives they want to share, yet the rendering of the narrative to the outside world is done by an interviewer or a third person. It therefore necessitates the formation of a "dyad" between the person whose life story is being told and the interviewer who presents the life story.

This manual is designed to provide a foundational framework for volunteers listening to the experiences, perceptions and aspirations of the poor and marginalised people. It is also useful for those social activists and researchers, who though not directly involved in the "Listening to the People in Poverty (LPP) Project", believe that there is an urgent need to hear poor people's voices and make these voices the basis for policy advocacy and change.

Author

Mohammed Asif. ActionAid India.