Listening Across Borders: Participatory and Action-Oriented Research for Inclusive Social Change in Southeast Asia

This working paper investigates the potential impact of research engagement on team members involved in research design, coordination, and implementation. It explores how participatory and action-oriented research may affect researchers, particularly those from the studied communities, with the intent to understand whether such impacts can dually serve as interventions in specific social contexts. The paper focuses on a case study implementing a locally developed approach known as Facilitative Listening Design (FLD) in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand to understand the regional context of minorities and the potential for inclusive social change. By examining the broader implications of such research processes on participating research team members, the paper raises the potential of intentionally designed inquiry to foster social change through critical reflection at the individual and group levels. Findings suggest that participatory methods like FLD may serve as powerful interventional tools for individual transformation and context-specific social change.