Marla L. Jaksch, visiting assistant professor of women's studies, published a co-authored article in the February 2008 issue of AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Scholarship. The article, titled "Developing Excellence in Indigenously Informed Research: Collaboration between African Communities and the Academy," explores a community-based participatory research strategy called Community Driven Development (CDD).
This approach works at bridging the gap between academic departments and rural communities by shifting the culture of the academy toward greater community engagement. Taking rural Tanzania as a case study, researchers from Penn State, Hamilton College and Tumaini Universities, as well as residents of Leguruki and Chekereni, work together to define and conduct research to improve wellbeing and promote sustainability of indigenous communities while employing methodologies that recognize communities as equal partners.
This approach works at bridging the gap between academic departments and rural communities by shifting the culture of the academy toward greater community engagement. Taking rural Tanzania as a case study, researchers from Penn State, Hamilton College and Tumaini Universities, as well as residents of Leguruki and Chekereni, work together to define and conduct research to improve wellbeing and promote sustainability of indigenous communities while employing methodologies that recognize communities as equal partners.
