In this article I describe the use of a participatory action research (PAR) methodology to address the problem of domestic violence among migrant farmworker (MFW) women in California. The article was generated from a variety of data sources used by the investigator over a 4-year period. These include the investigator's observations, field notes, informal conversations, written stories from the women, and interviews. The "power of the collective" is discussed as the development of a power base for battered MFW women to support and take care of one another. The concepts of liberation, enlightenment, and "conscientizacion" are used to describe the evolution of the collective.

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Interpersonal Relations psychological aspect nursing methodology research community care human Women's Rights middle aged Community Networks social support ethnology Hispanic Americans Spouse Abuse human relation United States Humans Hispanic health services research California case report female Behavior Article organization and management group process Group Processes partner violence Self-Help Groups migration adult Transients and Migrants Battered Women Community-Institutional Relations Power (Psychology) battered woman public relations self help