Using Participatory Action Research in a Study of Gang Violence in Bermuda

About the Research

My doctoral research, The Socio-Spatial Dynamics of Gang Violence in Bermuda, examines how gang violence develops in a small island context characterised by limited space, dense networks, and enduring inequalities. It also explores how violence is lived, understood, and governed under these conditions.

Over a year, I combined Participatory Action Research (PAR) with interviews involving policy and practice stakeholders, including government and agency officials, alongside individuals with direct lived experience of gang violence. The participatory exercises helped generate early themes, shaped the study’s direction, informed interview prompts, and were revisited iteratively to reflect on emerging insights with participants.

Methodology

PAR is understood as an approach that involves those most affected by a problem in shaping how it is understood and addressed, emphasising collaboration, reflexivity, and action-oriented emancipatory social change. While definitions of ‘full’ PAR vary—some require shared control over research questions, design, analysis, and action—my study incorporates PAR-informed components within a broader qualitative design. These include:

• Participant-led exercises
• Iterative feedback loops
• Sustained engagement with a community organisation
• Opportunities for participants to reflect on emerging themes and solutions

The approach is grounded in a transformative research paradigm that centres power, social justice, and the inclusion of marginalised voices in knowledge production. It treats community, institutional, and structural accounts as distinct forms of evidence without assuming one is inherently more credible.

Key Insights and Exercises

In Bermuda, institutional voices often dominate discussions of gang violence, while system-impacted young Black men—those most at risk—are frequently overlooked. PAR elements helped rebalance this dynamic. I conducted three interactive PAR exercises through Transitional Community Services (TCS), a local charity working with marginalised young men:

• Root Cause Analysis: Participants identified perceived causes and effects of gang violence.
• Islandness Mapping: Explored how small-island conditions (e.g., limited space, isolation, social interconnectedness) shape gang violence and everyday life. The exercise highlighted both challenges (e.g., lack of privacy, limited options) and strengths (e.g., community support, familiarity).

These sessions directly shaped interview prompts for stakeholders and individuals with lived experience. In a final exercise, participants reflected on emerging themes and discussed meaningful responses.

Reflections on Language and Power

Early consultation with TCS staff revealed how research language can carry power. When I described interview stages using the term ‘elite stakeholders’—a common label for high-status participants—a staff member noted that in Bermuda’s colonial context, ‘elite’ could imply class legitimation. I adopted ‘senior stakeholders’ instead. This highlighted how participatory work can surface tensions around language before it shapes authority and credibility.

Another correction challenged assumptions: I expected ‘marginalised’ to align with limited formal education or material disadvantage. However, some participants had qualifications or private school/university backgrounds yet still described exclusion. This clarified that marginality in Bermuda is relational and contextual, not a straightforward proxy for class or schooling.

Outcomes and Impact

The value of PAR elements was both methodological and relational. In the final session, participants described the exercises as a rare space where they felt genuinely heard and not judged, particularly in a group setting that supported safe, shared reflection. While this did not constitute structural change, it reinforced the idea that research can be conducted in ways that are respectful, grounded, and accountable to those most affected.

For doctoral research, participatory success extends beyond the thesis. It lies in the relational and practical change the process can create, even when academic and community priorities do not fully align.