This chapter is a part of a practical framework for analyzing the view of local communities on sustainable development. It introduces a participatory approach called social polygraphy that I believe has the potential to put into practice the VIEW framework discussed in chapter 3. The present chapter highlights the characteristics that make social polygraphy a promising approach to reaching a better understanding of the self- defined goals and aspirations of local communities, and at the same time, fostering mutual learning. The previous chapters revealed the challenges of studying indigenous peoples’ systems in a holistic manner. Finding appropriate ways to interact, initiate dialogue and learn together becomes crucial, especially in situations dealing with projects tinted by political interests, such as in the case of climate- change programs. Social polygraphy presents a promising approach for engaging with local communities and discovering diverse ways of reaching a mutual understanding among community members and outsiders about their complex and dynamic systems.

The present chapter is written based upon my experiences working for more than eleven years with an Afro- Colombian community that started a long- term process of reawakening, empowerment and self- determination through social polygraphy, which was called social cartography at the time. The chapter also incorporates examples from the literature that capture the same type of experiences as a product of engaging in this type of participatory process.

What Is Social Polygraphy?

Social polygraphy has its origins in participatory mapping. Participatory mapping methodologies have been used for decades as part of the researcher's toolbox to collect and analyze data from local communities around the world (Herlihy and Knapp 2003). Participatory mapping also has been used as a planning and social transformation tool, and is now widely recognized as a powerful methodology that allows communities to represent themselves and bring the issues affecting their territory and threatening their livelihoods to the attention of authorities and decision makers. Community mapping has been used as a strategy for analyzing issues in areas such as conservation, community planning, environmental conflict and territorial disputes (Sletto et al. 2013).