Short Abstract:

Dignity is central to legal, moral and development discourse. However the concept is rarely explicitly questioned or operationalised and often divorced from people's voices/realities. We seek contributions exploring research, programmes and theory exploring relational and grounded ideas of dignity.

Long Abstract:

The global polycrisis and calls for urgent responses to assuage the conditions regularly features calls to provide dignity to all. It features as a key virtue across constitutions, international conventions, development goals and political discourse. Yet, rarely is the idea of dignity explicitly questioned or rooted in the voices, experiences and relationships of those whose dignity is sought to be enhanced. This runs a dual risk. Either dignity remains an ephemeral principle with limited outcomes or accountability. Or it continues to be defined top-down by academics, bureaucrats, practitioners, perpetuating the power and coloniality endemic to a lot of development practice and research.

This panel welcomes theoretical, empirical and policy research that questions and explores the ideas around dignity in development. Contributions that bring in new conceptualisations, whether from literature or through consultations with practitioners and participants, are particularly welcome. The goal of this panel is to foster a conversation that brings dignity to the forefront, not just as an abstract idea but a core framework that can inform better research and practice.

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