Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

This article documents how communities in Lebanon developed solidarity networks in response to war-induced displacement. These grassroots initiatives challenge traditional humanitarian frameworks by prioritizing local knowledge, mutual aid, and collective care.

Paper long abstract:

Using collective documentation of grassroots responses initiated by communities as a result of Israeli war-induced displacement in Lebanon, this article investigates how local communities can construct decolonial frameworks of crisis response that challenge both hegemonic humanitarian epistemologies and mainstream development approaches. While international agencies continue to operate in traditional development-humanitarian modalities that are likely to replicate colonial power relations, Lebanese communities have mobilized organic solidarity networks that demonstrate the possibilities of recasting crisis response through decolonial action.

Through case studies of community kitchens, informal shelters, and grassroots networks of aid provision, the paper explores the ways in which these initiatives resist formal co-optation in active ways while building solidarity-based responses to both immediate crisis relief and extended community well-being. These networks highlight how local communities navigate intersecting crises through mutual aid and collective care-based practices rather than institutional neutrality.

This article is written in a collaborative narrative style with community organizers, highlighting how their practice overturns mainstream NGO approaches by working towards immediate needs and building more durable, more networked communities through decoloniality. Their practices are lessons in themselves for rethinking development theory and practice in a way that places solidarity and local epistemologies at the forefront.

Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract:

This mapping review examines faith-based social enterprises—particularly, Protestant ones—at the intersectional field of religion and development, religious social entrepreneurship, and social enterprises in development to identify evidence and recommended practice.

Paper long abstract:

Social enterprises have emerged as sustainable actors in development contexts, thus offering alternatives to conventional interventions. However, within development studies and its ‘religion and development’ subfield, scholars have focused primarily on conventional faith-based organisations (e.g., non-government organisations) while overlooking the burgeoning faith-based social enterprises (FBSEs). Although management studies, particularly those concerning religious social entrepreneurship, have yielded significant research on FBSEs, Protestant social enterprises lack rigorous studies. Therefore, using a mapping review methodology, this study examines the nexus between FBSEs (particularly Protestant FBSEs) and development across three interconnected fields: religion and development, religious social entrepreneurship, and social enterprises in development. We discovered that religion and development is the dominant conceptual framework among the three main interconnected fields and has a strong affinity for the FBSE-development nexus. Additionally, our analysis reveals how religious teachings shape Protestant social enterprises' approaches to whole-person transformation—a characteristic that distinguishes them from their secular counterparts—while contributing to social change. However, our findings indicate both limited and inconclusive development impacts, as well as a lack of economic viability. Therefore, in order to enhance development impacts, they need to harness the solidarity with secular development actors and faith-based organisations of other religions in ‘Aidland’ by focusing on their common virtues, practices and worldviews or bridging the secular-religious and religious divides among them. Moreover, FBSEs need to be reflexive of their ingrained coloniality in their positivist approaches and indirect forms of ruling, which are reminiscent of the complicity between colonial powers and missionary movements in controlling the colonised.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

The paper emphasizes a decolonisation approach to address inequality and promote solidarity and antiracism within NGOs in development. It explores barriers and opportunities to decolonisation, and how NGOs in Africa can navigate these challenges in the local and globalised context.

Paper long abstract:

Africa is making impressive strides in different aspects of development albeit many countries facing a polycrisis of conflicts and forced displacements, bad governance and democratic deficits, bulging unemployment amidst limited economic opportunities, poor social service systems, inequality at different levels, and unequal relationships with their contemporaries in the North and recently China, India and Russia. NGOs as significant actors on the continent have been praised by some, for advancing development in many marginalised communities; and also criticised by others, for entrenching coloniality tendencies which keep African individuals and communities in an unequal position with the rest of the world. Decolonisation approach advanced by Southern scholars and recently, common in different discourses is a continuous liberating process that NGOs must utilise to advance solidarity and antiracism amongst individuals who work as volunteers and staff for the organisations, partners and networks across continents, targeted communities, host governments and donors. A decolonisation approach in development focuses on balancing hierarchical relationships among various stakeholders where all voices especially of the marginalised influence decisions, priorities and outcomes of the development process. Currently, most NGOs modus operandi in Africa largely focuses on interests of their funding partners who are mainly in the North, with little emphasis on the priorities and context of the communities in which they work. This paper will be based on a systematic literature review of NGO work in Africa highlighting their progress, barriers, and opportunities for advancing solidarity and antiracism through the liberating approach of decolonization.

Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract:

This contribution aims to contribute to debates on academic freedom, academic activism and solidarity for Palestine. It focuses on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and explores its impact on academic solidarity with Palestine.

Paper long abstract:

This contribution draws on a blog published on the DSA website, which predominantly aimed to open up the discussion on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism within the association.

This discussion is important because evidence suggests that the widespread adoption of the definition, including in the Higher Education sector, undermines, sanctions and silences academic research, activism and solidarity with Palestine.

The contribution will elaborate on three sets of critiques that emerged in recent years. The first focuses on the conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism and the implications of this for research and practice; the second addresses the impact of this definition on academic lives and careers; the third critiques the IHRA definition for silencing and delegitimising Palestinian voices, further eroding the already fragile academic freedom surrounding Palestine.

The contribution aims to reflect on whether and how the widespread adoption of the IHRA definitions might constrain our research or activism, within and outside our institutions and broader solidarity with Palestine.

In this particular historical moment, as we live through a fragile ceasefire after fifteen months of a live-streamed ‘plausible genocide’, this is a crucial question for all practitioners and researchers committed to solidarity, antiracism, and decolonisation

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to discuss and analyse challenges facing the Palestinian civil society today such as genocidal actions by the Israeli occupation, shifting foreign aid and future of reconstruction and rebuilding civil society in Palestine.

Paper long abstract:

The Palestine society in general and Gaza in particular have been witnessing massive attacks and destruction by the Israeli occupation since October 2023. The Israelis have already destroyed the entire civil society, indiscriminately university hospitals, civil institutions, schools, roads, mosques, cultural sites, very historical places and churches as the Orthodox Cultural Centre in Gaza. The entire Palestinian local civil society have been living in inhumane conditions of whom now rely on donor assistance as living in dire and no access to basic food and water for months while imposing full closure under continuous bombardments. This paper discusses destruction of civil society, focusing especially, but not limited to, the following questions:

- What are barriers and challenges facing the entire society while responding to genocidal actions?

- To what extent and how can the global civil society actors address these concerns and influence policy makers?

- What does empirical evidence suggest regarding the implementation of support, stop genocidal actions, promotion solidarity with the Palestinian people, and decolonisation agenda?

- What are the roles of civil society institutions in the UK ?

- To what extent the previous wars impacted the post reconstruction process?

This paper looks at the significant engagement of Palestinian CSOs during genocidal operations despite the major challenges that are a result of the repercussions of the successive crises striking the Palestinian community owing to the ongoing economic, social, political and funding shifts.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

This study analyses how the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) framed and sourced news during the first three weeks of the 2023 Israel-Gaza War, utilizing a framing approach to assess impartiality.

Paper long abstract:

This study analyses how the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) framed and sourced news during the first three weeks of the 2023 Israel-Gaza War, utilizing a framing approach to assess impartiality. Building on quantitative content analyses, it compares 20 cross-party and party-specific frames, as well as variations in the utilization of sources in the BBC’s ‘Israel-Gaza war’ section. The analyses reveal minimal disparities in the use of cross-party positive frames between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, with the human-interest frame being most prevalent. However, the use of cross-party negative frames was partial to Israel, with a substantially higher frequency of criminality and terrorism frames in Palestinian narratives, despite some references to Israel’s violations. Party-specific frames favouring Israel were markedly more prominent than those favouring Palestine while Palestinian concerns were marginalized. The BBC cited Israeli political and citizen sources more frequently than Palestinian sources, whereas Palestinian medical sources were cited more often than Israeli ones. These findings are discussed in light of research on impartiality, inequality and the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion of voices and perspectives during conflict.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

Does the UK international development profession reflect society? Using existing evidence, and new studies on NGO workforce monitoring, and the background of international development students, to ask far under representation of lower socioeconomic groups impacts on the performance of the sector.

Paper long abstract:

International development is delivered by organisations in the public, charity, NGO, educational and voluntary sectors. There is no single source of data on the background of those working in field, but such evidence that does exist suggests significant under representation of those from lower socio-economic groups.

The paper will briefly review this evidence, and report two new studies undertaken by Diversity in Development, a new charity formed to promote inclusion in the sector. The first, undertaken jointly with BOND, involved responses of 120 NGO’s about their policies for monitoring diversity amongst their staff. The second looked at the background of those studying international development in UK universities, using data supplied by JISC. Both surveys reinforce indications from the wider literature that under representation by socio-economic background is more marked than for other potentially categories as gender and ethnicity.

Finally, the paper will pose three questions for discussion. The first is whether this underrepresentation matters, in terms of wider public support for development or the ability of the profession to do its job. The second is what particular barriers, if any, do those from lower socio-economic groups experience in seeking involvement in the sector. The third is what the sector can do to influence the position, and what particular role the development research community can play.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

The study investigates women's role in peacebuilding in Nigeria's Northern and Niger Delta regions, highlighting their strategies to foster solidarity, navigate socio-political contexts, challenge power structures, and promote inclusive peace through grassroot networks while addressing barriers.

Paper long abstract:

Our overly polarised and conflicted world, requires a critical analysis and understanding of how marginalized groups contributes to peacebuilding and social transformation. It is important to comprehend how marginalised communities contribute to social transformation and peacebuilding in an era of overlapping global crises. While emphasising on their methods for negotiating challenging socio-political environments and developing community resilience, this study explores the roles that women play in promoting peace and solidarity in Nigeria's war-torn Northern and Niger Delta areas.

Further, this study investigates how women's grassroots networks function within these diverse regional contexts using a mixed-methods approach that includes surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and secondary data analysis. The comparative study shows how women use local networks and indigenous knowledge systems to foster inclusive community development, challenge systemic injustices, and foster peace.

The findings establishes that despite major obstacles including socioeconomic exclusion and deeply ingrained patriarchal norms, women's peacebuilding efforts effectively promote intercommunal solidarity and conflict resolution. To facilitate more efficient and culturally sensitive peace processes, women-led organisations usually act as links between local communities and official institutions.

Conclusively, practical recommendations for policymakers, NGOs, and academic institutions to support women-led peacebuilding efforts is offered. These include creating support networks tailored to the particular situation, removing systemic obstacles to women's involvement, and incorporating indigenous knowledge systems into official peacebuilding frameworks. The study highlights the transformative potential of grassroot women's leadership in creating more egalitarian and peaceful communities while adding to larger conversations about gender, agency, and sustainable peace in conflict-affected areas.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

The metaphor of 'being on a journey' allows British development NGOs to discursively manage charges of racism and coloniality levelled at them, revealing the racisms they choose to see and the ones they don't. INGO public statements on race tell us how they navigate crisis.

Paper long abstract:

On reviewing 30 public statements by British international development NGOs (INGOs) on race and antiracism between 2020-2022, this presentation begins with the metaphor of a ‘journey’. The idea of a journey is a useful and evocative discursive strategy to portray INGOs as socially and culturally progressive at an extraordinary moment: in the wake of a revived global Black Lives Matter movement and a series of public scandals on accusations of racism from INGO staff since 2020. As a discursive strategy, the use of rhetorical devices enable particular self-portrayals of the organisations as thoughtful and action-orientated, and simultaneously reveal wider political manoeuvres to steer organisations complicit in global racism to places easier to navigate. Such a strategy is in keeping with a wider discursive apparatus that portrays INGOs as caring and compassionate entities. Closely reading these 30 statements, I ask: how is the idea of race, racism and antiracism used in the text? Exploring in turn, where do British INGOs locate racism in development and humanitarianism? And what is their responsibility for it and to undoing it? Such an exploration reveals discursive tactics for managing charges of racism and reveals how 'antiracism' can be used as a heuristic device to satisfice demands for transformation in the sector.