In the research conducted for the needs of founding theme villages, the perspective of applied anthropology was adopted. This approach assumes conducting social practice-oriented research.

• formulation of research problems in terms of social practice,
• practically oriented research results or the research process itself,
• subjective approach to the researched society.

The applied anthropology is “the anthropology that is made use of”, where the research process is defined towards the problem, the solving of which is served rather than in terms of the discipline [Willigen J. 1993. p. 7].
    The origins of applied anthropology can be sought in activities of the 19^th-century British anthropologists, who researched peoples settled in areas engulfed by the colonisation activity of (Africa, , Oceania). Active participation of anthropologists in the introduction of European domination in these areas was the main reason for criticism of applied anthropology upon the collapse of the colonial superpowers after World War II. In those times, the researchers were accused of having represented the interests of the colonial administration rather than the researched societies and of having shirked responsibility for the effects of using the data gathered as a result of their research [Staszczak Z. 1987]. In part, those accusations have persisted to date in spite of the fact that colonial authorities usually did not attach much importance to the results of anthropological research and the researchers themselves often criticised the colonial system and raised the issue of the rights of the indigenous population in their works [Firth R. 2003. p. 25].
    In our times, applied anthropology has been developed most vigorously in the . This trend of American anthropology of culture is marked by the extensive area of interests. The American anthropologists often assume the roles of consultants, analysts, socio-economists and managers [Olszewska – Dyoniziak B. 2000. p. 254]. Such research is usually conducted under contracts with government, business organisations, NGOs, ethnic groups. There is also a stream of the applied anthropological research that has been initiated by the anthropologists themselves. The motivations for such actions may be pertinent to both the humanistic sense of social responsibility [cf. Firth R. 2003] and the desire for finding employment for themselves, through solving the social problems [cf. WWW.ashoka.org].
    The assumptions lying behind the application of anthropology in the social and cultural change processes anticipate the researcher’s co-participation in the life of the researched society. He or she is to represent the interests of that group and function in it as an adviser [Staszczak Z. 1987]. The anthropologist may control the social processes only in conformity with the interest and will of the members of the society, at the same taking into consideration the value system adopted by it [Olszewska – Dyoniziak B. 2000. p. 255]. The achievement of co-participation was recognised as the key issue in the course of planning the research process. Co-participation may only be achieved under freed conditions. It requires expression, which is in contradiction with repression. Co-participation also results in changes in approaches towards development of mutual relationships and methods of communication. The key element is the dialogue and ability to express ideas and discuss freely. Co-participation means access to the decision-making process with the independent expression of one’s views, participation in taking actions [PHARE Project No p 9205-0405].
    From the point of view of applied anthropology, research is inseparable from the social process and therefore, from the very beginning, the researcher in his or her work must meet some conditions specific to his or her position [Stringer E. 1996. p. 38]:

• provide the sense of equality among the members of the researched society,
• avoid conflicts, if possible,
• enable the open solution of conflicts arising ,
• strengthen personal relationships that are informal and based on cooperation to a higher extent than the formal, functional and authoritarian ones.

In communication with the researched society, the researcher should:

• use a language comprehensible to everyone,
• listen to people carefully and try to understand what they want to say,
• be sincere and honest,
• behave in a manner that is considered as correct within the society,
• regularly inform every participant of the plans that are taken up and the events occurring .

During the partnership activities and the related research process the rule of making decisions together with the residents is obeyed and any arrangements resulting from the research are consulted with them. The village dwellers actively join in the research too. The local leaders gathered information related to the cultural heritage of the village, some of them presented the results of their research during the summary conference on the research. The important element of the research process was also involving children in the research. In the initial stage, they acted as guides to the village and their presence helped break the ice between the members of the research team and the village dwellers. The fact that the children’s interviews are of high quality was also taken advantage of [cf. Cooperrider D. L., 1996. pp. 5-11]. During the research informal relationships between the researchers and the village dwellers were being developed. The joint work on implementation of the village activation project assumptions, celebrating successes and participation of the research team members in events not directly related to the project but important for the village dwellers (harvest festival, Days of the Field, holy masses, etc) served this purpose.
    Upon the adoption of the applied anthropology perspective it was necessary to find the appropriate research methods. Applied anthropology uses the concept of the “self-determining society” [Olszewska – Dyoniziak B. 2000. p. 255]. Thus it was necessary to adopt a method as part of which the society was treated as a conscious subject of activities and was allowed to co-participate in the research. The relationships occurring during the research process should also be subjective in relation to these assumptions. It regards both the researcher/the researched relationships and the researcher’s attitude to himself and the researched subject. Such a method should also create favourable conditions for obtaining research results essential from the point of view of social practice and allowing close combination of the research and the social change process to be monitored continuously. This attitude is in opposition to the positivist research tradition where the researcher is situated above the reality as an objective observer, who tries not to interfere in the researched subject [Wyka A. 1993. pp. 46 - 47]. It was regarded that the method appropriate for realisation of these demands will be the participatory action research. The fundamental assumptions of this research are [Stringer E. 1996. p. xvi]:

• pragmatic attitude to research,
• active participation of society in the research process,
• research results related practically to the life and work of its participants.

At the source of the action research method there lie many intellectual traditions, but none of them determines it clearly. The origins of this method can be sought in the sociological tradition. Even Saint Simon showed the need of involving citizens in the process of social change. The initiation of this conception is also attributed to Jacob L. Moreno. He described the intervention in social systems and social order. The reason and purpose of such an intervention was to be important for its participants, who cooperated with the researcher in conducting it [Gunz. J. 1996 pp. 145 - 149]. Jacob Moreno’s idea was adopted by his disciple – Kurt Lewin, who is the author of the term “action research”. Kurt Lewin writes in his book of 1946 as follows: “The research necessary in the social practice can be best characterised as a socio-technique and social management. It is a kind of action research – the comparative research the effect and condition of which is various forms of social activity and which results in social activity. The research that only produces books is not enough for the social objectives” [Lewin K. 1946 pp. 202 - 203]. This concept also meets the heuristic demands of symbolic interaction.
    The action research method was originally used in the USA for educational projects and activation of local societies and it lost popularity in the 1960s. Recently, in view of the appearance of pragmatic currents and the “post-positivist” philosophy one may speak about the revival of interest in action research [Kwiecińska – Zdrenka M. 1996 p. 45]. Research based on this method is currently conducted primarily in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Finland and Great Britain. It is conducted with reference to: educational issues, including the issue concerning the role of school in the life of societies, and solving problems of national minorities (especially in the USA, Australia), activation and development of local societies (especially in Finland where activities based on the action research methods became the element of new policy of development of rural areas in this country).
    The essence of action research is to ensure the environment for agreement between the researcher and the researched society by creating opportunities for joint actions. In accordance with assumptions of the symbolic interactionism, it is the action that social interpretation of the reality is revealed in. Thus such situations allow making use of participatory observation and free interview techniques (e.g. during the performance of the joint work and celebration after its completion). During the implementation of the theme village foundation project the socio-ethnological research is the integral part of the social change process.

Bibliography.

• Cooperrider, D. L. 1996. The "child" as agent of inquiry. Organization Development Practitioner. 28:1 & 2.
• Firth R. 2003. Has the social anthropology a future? (in:) Culture Research, elements of anthropological theory. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. Warszawa.
• Gunz J.1996. Jacob L. Moreno and Origins of Action Research. (in:) Educational Action Research, no 1.
• Kwiecińska – Zdrenka M. 1996. Researcher in action. Describe or change the exiting reality? Socjologia Wychowania, vol. XIV.
• Lewin K. 1946. Resolving Social Conflicts. Harper and Brothers publishers, New York.
• Olszewska – Dyoniziak B. 2000. Outline of cultural anthropology. Zachodnie Centrum Organizacji. Zielona Góra.
• PHARE Project No p 9205–0405 Participatory methodology, Training and technical assistance for local leaders in the methods, instruments and experience in preparing programmes for development and management in communes.
• Staszczak Z. 1987. Ethnologic dictionary: general terms. Warszawa, Poznań.
• Stringer, E. 1996. Action Research. A Handbook for Practitioners. Sage Publications, Thousand Oakes – London – New Delhi.
• Willigen J. 1993. Applied Anthropology: An Introduction. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.
• Wyka A. 1993. Social researcher in the face of experience. IFiS PAN, Warszawa.

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