Application of an epistemological-methodological proposal for social research of rural collectives in Latin America

Abstract

The expository and reflective article takes up the epistemological and methodological discussion carried out in the framework of the thesis “Emancipatory processes of women in a housing cooperative in the municipality of La Dalia, Matagalpa”, which is part of the master’s program in Sustainable Rural Territorial Development of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua (UNAN-Managua) at the Regional University Center of Matagalpa (CUR-Matagalpa). The purpose of this article is to present the epistemological-methodological design already applied and to reflect on its applicability. The precepts of the main paradigms of social research are discussed, with emphasis on decolonial thought as a Latin American paradigm. With the approaches reviewed, a bricolage was carried out for the elaboration of the epistemological proposal used in the framework of the thesis. It also describes the systematization of experiences as the chosen methodology and the methodical adjustments made to express the main lessons learned during the application of the methodology. It is concluded that the data collected in the application of the proposed methodology related to particular meanings, social factors and the potential for action allow the construction of theory.