This book brings together papers presented in 1995 at a workshop organised by Duryog Nivaran, a South Asian network promoting participatory approaches in situations of natural disasters and internal conflicts. Many of the papers reflect on the limitations and challenges of applying participatory approaches in emergency situations.
This book is the outcome of a workshop on participation organised by Duryog Nivaran, a South-Asian network of individuals and organisations concerned with large scale disruptions in society due either to natural disasters or conflicts. This introductory chapter gives a glimpse of papers included in the above book. The papers come from a group who have not only encountered the notion of participation in different capacities but have also understood it in different ways.