Cavanagh, Chris

'Naming the Moment' A participatory process of political analysis for action

Naming the Moment is a participatory method of identifying and analysing issues in order to decide how to act on them. It began in 1986 and is based on popular education techniques, particularly those of Paulo Friere. It has spread and adapted to local circumstances and has been used for community analysis, coalition building, anti-racist change, organisational development and strategic planning. This article looks at the dimensions of the approach, the four interlocking phases that make it up and goes on to give some examples of it's use.