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MARGINALIZATION IS CONTEXT-SPECIFIC Something as simple as asking a range of stakeholders “Who do you consider marginalized?” helps evaluators to identify and then to understand aspects of marginalization within a specific context. The way in which power dynamics and interrelationships between groups is formed is by a wide array of variables, such as social norms, culture, history, politics, and religion. These variables, and the way they express themselves in any given society, are context-specific and can change over time. Someone who identifies with a particular group may be marginalized in Country X but hold power in Country Y. As an evaluator, it is important to understand and identify marginalization within the context of the intervention you are evaluating because it is the first step towards analyzing marginalization in an evaluation. Something as simple as asking a range of stakeholders “Who do you consider marginal-
ized?” helps evaluators to identify and then to understand aspects of marginalization within a specific context. This also prompts stakeholders to consider and reflect on this question, building their capacity to identify and consider marginalization in their work. The guide’s “Chapter 5: Preparation and Design” walks you through the process of systemic boundary analysis to: first, identify the stakeholders within the boundary of the intervention (i.e., “Boundary Story”); second, reflect on this to consider who may have been excluded or marginalized; and third, take the steps necessary to include these stakeholders within the evaluation process.
MARGINALIZED VOICES Marginalized voices result from a process whereby people (e.g., the elderly, youth, transgendered, ethnic, religious groups, disabled, indigenous) or entities (e.g., ecological systems) are pushed to the margins of a society and assigned a lesser importance. This is predominantly a social phenomenon by which a minority or sub-group is excluded or discriminated against; it is a form of acute and persistent disadvantage rooted in structural social inequalities.