There are many studies of violence within specific fields of the social sciences, but the next stage in our evolving understanding of violence may lie with interdisciplinary approaches. By traversing traditional academic categories, violence as a variable may become more visible in its multiple modes. It is through our ability to see the linkages between interpersonal, cultural, collective, political, state, interstate and structural violences that we can gain a better understanding of its persistence in human interactions.

Researchers for this Bulletin set out not only to understand contemporary dynamics of violence, but also to work with people trapped in violent places, spaces and histories who were willing to talk about and act upon their situation. Researching violence in an interactive way with those living in the thick of it posed many ethical, safety, epistemological and methodological challenges. These are documented in the Bulletin alongside findings on the dimensions and impact of violence in different contexts.

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Table of contents

Introduction: Researching Democracy and Social Change with Violence in the Foreground, Jenny Pearce (p1)

PARTICIPATORY METHODS FOR RESEARCH AND SOCIAL ACTION IN VIOLENT CONTEXTS

'The Life That We Don't Want': Using Participatory Video in Researching Violence
By Joanna Wheeler (p10)

Participatory Theatre and Video: Acting Against Violence in Northern Nigeria
By Oga Steve Abah, Jenkeri Zakari Okwori and Ogoh Alubo (p19)

Action Research Against Violence: An Experience from Southern Mexico
Carlos Cortez Ruiz (p27)

Transformative Education in Violent Contexts: Working with Muslim and Christian Youth in Kaduna, Nigeria
By Colette Harris (p34)

DATA COLLECTION IN VIOLENT CONTEXTS: METHODOLOGICAL CHALLENGES

Quantitative Methods in Contexts of Everyday Violence
By Patricia Justino, Jennifer Leavy and Elsa Valli 41

Survey Methodology in Violence-prone Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa
Ndodana Nleya and Lisa Thompson (p50)

RESEARCHING WITH YOUTH AND CHILDREN

Between Rationality and Intuition: A Social Psychology Approach to Ex-combatant Children in Colombia
By Carlos Jiménez Caballero (p58)

Negotiating Children's Social Contexts in Jamaica: Ethics, Practicalities and Research Methodologies
By Joy Moncrieffe

GENDER AND CULTURAL DYNAMICS IN VIOLENT CONTEXTS

Methodological Dilemmas: Researching Violent Young Men in Medellín, Colombia
By Adam Baird (p72)

Researching the Gendered Silences of Violence in El Salvador
By Mo Hume (p78)

Researching Masculinity and Violence in Sri Lankan Politics: Subject Construction as Methodology
By Jani de Silva (p86)

BRIEFING NOTES FROM BRAZIL AND JAMAICA: RISK, ACCESS AND INFLUENCE

Risk and Fear in Researching Violence
By Joanna Wheeler (p94)

Researching with ‘Violent Actors': Dangers, Responsibilities and Ethics
By Joy Moncrieffe (p97)

Negotiating Access for Participatory Research with Armed Actors
By Joanna Wheeler (p100)

Building Interfaces Between State and Community
By Joanna Wheeler (p103)

Bringing the Reality to Policymakers
Joy Moncrieffe (p105)

CONCLUSION

Understanding Violent Realities ... and Transforming Them?
Rosemary McGee (p107)

DVD
Violence Framed: Participatory Video in Action Research