Situating participatory methodologies in context: the impact of culture on adult–child interactions in research and other projects

Abstract

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child marked a significant development in thinking about children and their rights. For the first time in the history of the United Nations, this treaty recognises children as autonomous individuals and holders of rights. As a result, numerous organisations and academic institutions have adopted a children's-rights approach in their work with children, which predominately foregrounds participatory approaches. However, questions remain about how effective such an approach is when undertaken with children in societies around the world. The aim of this paper is to situate participatory projects undertaken with children in context – with a particular focus on the social and cultural features of a given society, namely Ghana, which was the first country to ratify the Convention in February 1990.