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Temilade Sesan, Peeling back the layers on participatory development: evidence from a community-based women's group in Western Kenya, Community Development Journal, Volume 49, Issue 4, October 2014, Pages 603–617, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bst085
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Abstract
Proponents' claims regarding the empowering potential of participatory development have been challenged by critics who maintain that the practice of participation is constrained by structural inequities and hence is not as radically transformative as the rhetoric would suggest. This article shows how the transformative potential of participatory approaches can be limited by even slight variations in socioeconomic indicators among members of seemingly homogeneous marginalized groups, thus peeling back an often unrecognized layer of complexity in participatory development practice. A more reflexive approach that attempts to systematically address underlying structural barriers to the exercise of individual agency in Southern development contexts is necessary to achieve more equitable participation and inclusive empowerment.