Participatory and action-oriented research for peace: Producing insider knowledge whilst transforming conflict through inquiry

This project examines how Facilitative Listening Design (FLD), a local inquiry and storytelling method developed in Cambodia, can reshape power dynamics, foster personal and group transformation, and influence knowledge production through the research process. By engaging individuals directly affected by the issues under study, the project applies a participatory and action-oriented approach to an ongoing conflict - the rise of online hate speech and nationalist sentiments between Cambodian and Thai youth netizens.

The research is conducted in collaboration with local community organisations in Cambodia (Women Peace Makers) and Thailand (Wocation Co., Ltd.). It involves 20 participants who transition into researchers, or FLD “Listeners”, engaging in peer-to-peer inquiry with 100 further participants in their own communities. Through storytelling, oral history, and shared reflections on the current conflict along with the background of cross-border relations, Listeners collect narratives that are later exchanged and analysed with their counterparts from the neighbouring country. This dialogue creates a space for processing diverse and contested narratives on history, culture, and national identity, offering insights into how participatory and action-oriented methodologies can contribute to peacebuilding in digital and real-world conflict settings.

FLD as a method shares principles with oral history such as centring lived experiences, amplifying marginalised voices, and using storytelling to explore the complexities of identity, history, and conflict. By facilitating conversations that blend personal narratives with historical and political contexts, this project generates a grassroots archive of testimonies that reflect evolving understandings of nationalism and cultural identity. Beyond documenting narratives, it also examines how the act of listening itself can transform relationships, challenge entrenched perspectives, and foster mutual understanding. The findings contribute to both academic scholarship and practical peacebuilding approaches, informing how storytelling can be used to navigate tensions in divided societies.

This research is part of my joint PhD at the University of Warwick and Monash University where I explore participatory and action-oriented research methodologies in peace and conflict studies. The collaborative nature of this work reflects a commitment to decolonising knowledge production, ensuring that those affected by conflict play an active role in shaping the inquiry process.

Contact

E-profile: Raymond Hyma

Email: raymond.hyma@warwick.ac.uk

Recent publications:

• Raymond Hyma, ‘Queering participation: Reimagining the researcher-researched nexus’, Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Journal, (in press).
• Raymond Hyma et al., 'The power in re-telling research: A Cambodian community-based approach generating knowledge by subjects of study’, Development in Practice (2025), 1–13. doi:10.1080/09614524.2025.2463913.
• Raymond Hyma, ‘Listening across borders: Participatory and action-oriented research for inclusive social change in Southeast Asia’, HADRI Global Development Working Paper Series 2 (2025), Humanitarian & Development Research Initiative (HADRI), Western Sydney University.
• Raymond Hyma, ‘Participatising statelessness research: Towards more inclusive scholarship’, The Statelessness & Citizenship Review 6:1 (2024), 130–36, doi:10.35715/SCR6001.117.
• Raymond Hyma and Le Sen, ‘Inquiry as practice: Building relationships through listening in participatory action peace research’, Peace Review 34:3 (2022), 343–51, doi:10.1080/10402659.2022.2092396.