Folklife PAR is SFA’s participatory action research methodology — a framework for community-led inquiry that brings a folklorist’s lens to the research process, centering the creative and expressive practices through which communities already make meaning together as both data and driver of change. Developed in with support by the Surdna Foundation and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC), the approach challenges the assumption that only trained professionals can produce meaningful research, and instead builds the skills of everyday community members to reflect on, investigate, and act on their own lived knowledge.
More than 100 participants have moved through Folklife PAR mentored learning cohorts — working in Tucson, San Antonio, San Francisco, Philadelphia and beyond — producing research that has informed city policy, seeded new organizations, and supported solidarity-based economic strategies. The Folklife PAR Network website serves as an open learning space where anyone can explore the curriculum, connect with the community of practice, and access SFA’s tools and stories.
Visit the PAR Network