Higher Education and Community-Based Research ― Creating a Global Vision

The practices of community-based research spring from the understanding that research and knowledge are not created and stored in the university, then disseminated to the general public, but that research and knowledge are influenced by and created in response to community needs and contexts. This book describes, analyses, and points a way forward for the field of community-based research as practiced within higher education. It sets the historical background for current debates and engages the leaders in this field to create an imagination-driven agenda for transformation. It surveys the rich experience of community-based research participants across countries and regions, stressing both the diversity of these experiences and their common themes. Finally, it sets forth visions of how higher education and community-based research can together move forward, to the benefit of all society.

Ronaldo Munck is Head of Civic Engagement at Dublin City University, Ireland, and Co-chair of Campus Engage.

Lorraine McIlrath is Coordinator of the Community Knowledge Initiative at the National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland, and Principal Investigator of Campus Engage.

Budd Hall is Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education at the University of Victoria, Canada.

Rajesh Tandon is the founding President of the Society for Participatory Research in Asia, based in India, and is Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education.