Wither Participation and Empowerment?

These articles represent a convergence o f community research on participation with theoretical developments on empowerment. As a group, the papers extend conceptual models o f empowerment and participation in a variety o f ways by identifying indivMual and community perceptions, elements o f the physical and social climate, and organizational characteristics as areas o f study that broaden and connect the ideas o f participation and empowerment. Theory and researeh on participation and empowerment still lack strong connections to other existing bodies o f theory and do not yet focus adequately on the mechanisms by which individual groups and communities may become empowered. Empowerment and participation researchers have not yet explicitly acknowledged and explored the tensions that exist between partisan advocacy and scientific inquiry. These are challenges for the future.