Paper short abstract:

This paper reviews some of the major anthropological approaches to and conceptualisations of human rights and development exploring how ‘western’ scholars articulate ontological notions of rights and development with regards to power relations and processes of identity-construction.

Paper long abstract:

This paper reviews some of the major anthropological approaches to and conceptualisations of human rights and development in order to explore how 'western' scholars articulate ontological notions of rights and development with regards to power relations and processes of identity-construction. The basic assumption is that ontological ideas on these matters are ontological only to the extent they are lived and used as such, and thus can be taken up for discussion. I use a narrative approach to these ideas, which I take as products of specific lifeworlds where differences in value orientations and place-specific practices are reflected. My main argument is that ontological discussions on rights and development with our subjects of study are essential not only to advance anthropological scholarship, but also to decolonise knowledge on these phenomena.