Pragmatist philosophy and soft systems in an upland Thai catchment

This paper reflects upon an application of soft systems methodology in an u pland catchment situation in Thailand in terms of the philosophical underpi nnings of approaches to action research. It is argued that a pragmatist phi losophy may be more appropriate than the popular emancipatory ethic of crit ical systems. In the Thai context, patron-client relationships have a fundamental impact on processes of participatory inquiry, and the identification and implement ation of collaborative solutions. An adaptation of soft systems methodology has been used to identify mutually beneficial improvements in management b etween villager, agency and commercial stakeholders. In the Thai situation, , it is doubtful to what degree the less powerful village stakeholders wish to 'emancipate' themselves out of the institutional protocols of patron-cl ient relationships, as against building further patronage relationships wit h multiple agency and commercial patrons. Rather than seeking a normative c ompass through 'emancipation' as a universal ethic, perhaps we should look to the creative potential within ourselves, and within our cultures. Copyri ght (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.