Three years ago, I was sure I understood development. The more I’ve learned, the more problems I’ve come across. There are an infinite number of cases where the practitioners were well-intentioned but the project failed because there was not an accurate understanding of what sort help was needed.
I find that one of the hardest things in development (besides the temptation of cynicism) is ensuring that the change you’re aiming to achieve is both sought and welcomed by stakeholders. I strongly believe that change must be DESIRED before it is okay for any development practitioners get involved. Stakeholders must be aware of the choices they have in the matter, and they must CHOOSE to acquire external assistance. Anything outside of that is an intervention, and should not be classified in the name of development. That is not to say you can’t present them with options, but that’s just it – they’re options – and the local communities should have every right to refuse them if that’s what they prefer.
What people unfamiliar to the field do not always recognize is the thin line exiting in development moving from empowering, enabling and capacity-building to the imposition of our belief systems. We can’t go into someone else’s country, someone else’s home, and tell them everything they are doing is wrong – who are we to say that? Development is not a linear spectrum and we as Westerners are NOT the end goal. Development can exist in a multitude of different forms and should not be assess with a narrow mindset. Living on less than a dollar a day is not an adequate criterion to individually determine the status of a nation. Economic standing is not an accurate depiction of a country’s development because it ignores important things such as a community’s incredible spiritual and cultural wealth.
This involves a lot of thinking and preparation before arriving in Nepal. I want to go to Nepal, and I want to help, I want to be useful. But I need to be critical of the work I do, always ensuring that there is a demand for the work I’m doing and the change I’m trying to bring about.
The Dark Side of Nationalism
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of enjoying my Canada Day in the country’s capital! It was an exciting weekend, filled with more red and white than I’ve ever seen in my life.
Before I continue, I’d like to give a small shout out to my fellow INDEVOUR and friend, Gina, who is a native Ottawian – okay, she’s sort of an immigrant, but she’s lived most of her life in Ottawa; she spent most of Saturday touring the city with me, teaching me little facts along the way! It was a blast.
In my 21 (almost 22!) years of being a Canadian and a resident of the planet Earth, this was my first time celebrating Canada Day, as well as my first Canada Day in Ottawa. My previous July 1sts have consisted of nothing more than my day-to-day routines and maybe catching a glimpse of the fireworks from my backyard if I'm lucky. This year was different; everything about it made me feel proud to be Canadian and it was the first time I could express this pride without it having to be associated with Olympics or hockey!
Being programmed to relate everything back to development (also known as permanent geek mode), the day’s high levels of Canadian nationalism lead me to ponder about the effects of one's pride and whether there is more to nationalism than chants and colourful flags. Could it be that nationalism has a dark side?
Some theorists believe that violence, war, and certain hate crimes are a by-product of people getting wrapped up in nationality as an integral part of their identity. Associated with nationalism are ideas
such as:
- My country and its people are the best in the world;
- My country is better than other countries;
- I have a duty to my country;
- And, I have a duty to protect my country, its people, and its
interests.
If you look at these phrases carefully, they denote a sense of superiority and may even be potential sources of conflict if misguided.
In such cases, nationalism can also foster danger and animosity when brought through, “patriotism,” and “fighting for your country.” By uniting people around a common identity, nationalism is simultaneously creating, “the others,” as an identity for those who do not fall into the national bond group.
Throughout centuries, wars have been magnified by differences in national identity. Even today issues arise around differences in nationalism. For example, one blogger argues that Quebec nationalism, as envisioned by its founders in the 50s and 60s, was set on making French Canadians equal partners in Canada. The blogger goes on to say, “Somewhere along the line, the concept of equality has been lost - replaced with the notion of separate and better.” Similarly, differences in national pride led to violent protests and conflict between the Chinese government and Tibetans prior to the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Don’t get me wrong – I love being Canadian. I think nationalism is a great thing because it can promote unity and a common identity WHEN USED in positive contexts. Moreover, having national pride and feeling a sense of community has been shown to be an essential condition for the existence of democracy.
The key concept within nationalism is to then promote equality between groups versus superiority to one or any other group. Pride in one’s country is great as long as we steer away from labeling it as better than others. An extension of that train of thought may be to also avoid terms such as developed and developing countries due to the association that being developed means to imitate Western countries as an end goal.
I take pride in calling Canada my home. The question to ask is when does that pride get too far? When does nationalism become a threat?
Before I continue, I’d like to give a small shout out to my fellow INDEVOUR and friend, Gina, who is a native Ottawian – okay, she’s sort of an immigrant, but she’s lived most of her life in Ottawa; she spent most of Saturday touring the city with me, teaching me little facts along the way! It was a blast.
In my 21 (almost 22!) years of being a Canadian and a resident of the planet Earth, this was my first time celebrating Canada Day, as well as my first Canada Day in Ottawa. My previous July 1sts have consisted of nothing more than my day-to-day routines and maybe catching a glimpse of the fireworks from my backyard if I'm lucky. This year was different; everything about it made me feel proud to be Canadian and it was the first time I could express this pride without it having to be associated with Olympics or hockey! 
Being programmed to relate everything back to development (also known as permanent geek mode), the day’s high levels of Canadian nationalism lead me to ponder about the effects of one's pride and whether there is more to nationalism than chants and colourful flags. Could it be that nationalism has a dark side? Some theorists believe that violence, war, and certain hate crimes are a by-product of people getting wrapped up in nationality as an integral part of their identity. Associated with nationalism are ideas
such as:
- My country and its people are the best in the world;
- My country is better than other countries;
- I have a duty to my country;
- And, I have a duty to protect my country, its people, and its
interests.
If you look at these phrases carefully, they denote a sense of superiority and may even be potential sources of conflict if misguided.
In such cases, nationalism can also foster danger and animosity when brought through, “patriotism,” and “fighting for your country.” By uniting people around a common identity, nationalism is simultaneously creating, “the others,” as an identity for those who do not fall into the national bond group.
Throughout centuries, wars have been magnified by differences in national identity. Even today issues arise around differences in nationalism. For example, one blogger argues that Quebec nationalism, as envisioned by its founders in the 50s and 60s, was set on making French Canadians equal partners in Canada. The blogger goes on to say, “Somewhere along the line, the concept of equality has been lost - replaced with the notion of separate and better.” Similarly, differences in national pride led to violent protests and conflict between the Chinese government and Tibetans prior to the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Don’t get me wrong – I love being Canadian. I think nationalism is a great thing because it can promote unity and a common identity WHEN USED in positive contexts. Moreover, having national pride and feeling a sense of community has been shown to be an essential condition for the existence of democracy.
The key concept within nationalism is to then promote equality between groups versus superiority to one or any other group. Pride in one’s country is great as long as we steer away from labeling it as better than others. An extension of that train of thought may be to also avoid terms such as developed and developing countries due to the association that being developed means to imitate Western countries as an end goal.
We are INDEVOURS
Keep hearing about the organization INDEVOURS? Want to know more?
We're a group of thirty-two optimistic, honest, and collaborative International Development students at the University of Waterloo who will be embarking on their 8-month placements this September. We are heading to seven different countries in search of ways to make a positive difference in the realities of international development. To help make this mission a reality INDEVOURS is fundraising the costs of our placements. Our goal is to raise $60,000 by September 2012.
Watch this short (yet awesome) video to get a better idea of what we're all about!! Here, we share our views on development issues and what we are doing about it. What are you doing about issues in development?
We're a group of thirty-two optimistic, honest, and collaborative International Development students at the University of Waterloo who will be embarking on their 8-month placements this September. We are heading to seven different countries in search of ways to make a positive difference in the realities of international development. To help make this mission a reality INDEVOURS is fundraising the costs of our placements. Our goal is to raise $60,000 by September 2012.
Watch this short (yet awesome) video to get a better idea of what we're all about!! Here, we share our views on development issues and what we are doing about it. What are you doing about issues in development?
Visit our website to learn more about us and our international development field placements: http://indevours.wordpress.com/
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