elicitive approach

Inspired by Latin American practitioners like Paulo Freire and Orlando Fals Borda alongside critical reflection of his own training practices in diverse cultural settings, John Paul identified a continuum of approaches ranging between two ideal-type models: prescriptive and elicitive. Whereas the prescriptive model is based on transferring content from one setting to another, the elicitive approach explores cultural resources and expands local innovations in any given setting. This approach builds from participatory action research, which comprised a significant element of John Paul’s accompaniment of peacebuilding from early years in Central America to later iterations in Nepal. The writings featured in this section explore the emergence and application of an elicitive approach, primarily between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s.