Exploring Participation: A Study of Venezuelan Bolivarian Schools

This thesis examines different ways the process of participation is manifested in Venezuelan Bolivarian primary schools. I argue that the notion of participation in development is contested and has been oversimplified by both advocates and detractors. Using the Venezuelan study as an example, I show that in the same project of participatory development both problematic and positive elements of participation will exist. Problematic elements of participation address inadequate understandings of 'community', question the process of consensus building, and highlight the role of proximity to power centers. Promising developments in the Venezuelan case include incorporation of social programs into the schools, new educational quality indicators, and the establishment of a relationship between school curriculum and local development efforts. As these problematic and promising elements simultaneously occur, I suggest that a different approach to evaluating participation in a development context is necessary. This approach, theorized by social geographers, suggests that analysis of how the space of participation emerges would be more beneficial for assessing the merits of participation. From this perspective, continued study of participatory processes might move beyond the current oversimplification