Diasporans Negotiating Insider/Outsider Positionality in International Development Work

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: Renegotiating Education in the Post-2015 Era

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the relationship between bicultural consultants to international development (ID) work and their western partners. Using a phenomenological case-study approach, we describe the subjunctive experiences of diasporans employed as consultants to Western-led ID initiatives. The pilot of this study was conducted with 18 Haitian-Americans working in partnership with USA-based NGOs, universities, government and private institutions in Haiti. This study troubles assumed notions of whose knowledge should be centered or dominant in global partnerships while illuminating the social injustices experienced by diaspora professionals seeking to sustainably improve and enhance their heritage countries. Preliminary findings explicate the benefactor/beneficiary dichotomy and the awkward positionality of diasporans with suggested ways to enhance collaborative partnerships.

Author

• Chelda Smith Kondo, Georgia Southern University