Good morning all! It's far too early on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Before my run this morning I'm going to offer you yet another set of quotes!
The first quote is from Robert O. Paxton's book The Anatomy of Fascism. It explores the mindset underlying fascism, characterized by the belief in a great leader uniquely capable of representing the nation and their group. Note its resonance with the notion expressed by a certain individual: "I alone can fix it."
–Robert O. Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism
The next quote is from Ben Ramalingam's book Aid on the Edge of Chaos. This book introduces what could be described as the "epistemic injustice" of development, offering a compelling critique of the unequal power dynamics within the aid industry. It underscores the extent to which Northern-based aid actors must strive to truly serve communities and support development that aligns with local contexts.
"Aid is produced by those at the top of the pipeline: donors, the rich, the developed. It is delivered by means of ‘experts’ and other ‘knowledgeable persons’ of the ‘pipeline’ down to ‘beneficiaries’ such as local development agents, policymakers, advisors, farmers, and researchers at the receiving end."
–Ben Ramalingam, Aid on the Edge of Chaos
The next quote serves as a reminder that unless you write something down or complete a task, it will occupy mental space—taking up mindshare that could otherwise drain your energy and focus throughout the day.
"Zeigarnik effect (Zeigarnik 1927), in which our brains tend to stay occupied with a task until it is accomplished (or written down)."
–Sönke Ahrens, How to Take Smart Notes
I suppose I should group these quotes from one source together, but I haven't. Here, once again, we encounter the "epistemic injustice" of aid—a reminder of why it is crucial for aid actors to approach their work with greater care and consideration. When working with communities and individuals in developing contexts, we must reflect on what we represent, how we present ourselves, and, most importantly, our ultimate goals. These goals should always center on serving the community we aim to support, rather than advancing our careers or short-term programmatic objectives. If our programmatic goals do not align with the community's needs, it is the goals—not the community—that are flawed.
"Because power is knowledge, and power above all else seeks to sustain itself, we can see that the rhetoric around development knowledge—‘like light’—is not just optimistic but also clearly wildly inaccurate."
–Ben Ramalingam, Aid on the Edge of Chaos
No comments:
Post a Comment