Paper short abstract:

This paper problematizes the notion of ‘epistemic injustice’, challenging ‘the way of knowing’ and ‘the way of doing’ development with the 'severe poor'.

Paper long abstract:

This ongoing research critically scrutinizes the role, status, and methodological practices of researchers and practitioners in dealing with the 'severe poor'. The term 'severe poor' is deliberately employed to differentiate this group from the 'extreme poor' as defined by the World Bank. The 'severe poor' in this case are identified as those who are residing at the lowest rungs of society and often lacking agency, power, and political influence, characteristics that align with Gayatri Spivak's (2003, 2005) concept of the 'subaltern'. The research problematises the notion of ‘epistemic injustice’, challenging ‘the way of knowing’ and ‘the way of doing’ development with the 'severe poor' based on the learning and microethical reflections derived from the experience of a number of empirical fieldworks in Bangladesh. One key argument is that an encounter with the 'severe poor' engages symmetrical gazing both by the researchers (and the practitioners) and the participants as evidenced by certain gestures. This keeps ‘the colonial’ alive with its ‘after-effects’ (Hall, 1996: 248) along with the appropriation of class hierarchies that sustain the ‘divide and rule’ system. The severe poor are thus further disenfranchised even with uttered commitment to inclusionary practices. It is anticipated that this research will contribute to the ongoing discourse on decolonizing knowledge and development, an area of interest that has predominantly been theoretical rather than grounded in research and development practice. This will involve a thorough examination of how the severe poor or marginalized individuals are heard, portrayed, and targeted by both researchers and practitioners.