Becoming a development aid worker is a common career aspiration among young people. In Germany, for example, the “weltwärts” development policy volunteer service has been in place since 2008, through which several thousand volunteers have already been sent to so-called developing countries. In addition, there are other programs and an ever-expanding range of training opportunities. This motivation often stems from the fact that “development cooperation” is unquestioningly associated with good causes, charitable projects, the fight against injustice, compassion, and aid. After all, don’t we all want poor countries to benefit from our technological “development” and our knowledge? Someday, everyone should be able to live like we do! Or don’t we?
Isn’t it also patronizing to assume that “we” know who should “develop” and how? Can’t “we” also learn from the Global South? Isn’t so-called development aid also a massive intrusion into another society? Is something well-intentioned always good? In our examination of “development cooperation,” we focus in particular on the fact that it is closely intertwined with European colonialism. For decades, this very issue has been the subject of political activism and numerous academic studies in both the Global South and the Global North: “Development aid” is viewed as a means of exercising power that serves to maintain Western hegemony economically, politically, and culturally, and to shape societies in its own image. Racism, as the central foundation and legitimization of colonialism, still implicitly plays an important role in the argument over who should be “developed” by whom and why. In addition to the significance of racism on the ideological level, power structures favoring white people in work structures, project work, public relations, fundraising, and educational work are also significant.
In our educational work, we examine “development cooperation” in terms of its colonial roots and its connections to racism. By bringing these gaps to light, we can spark a discussion about how to prevent racism in our work practices. This includes, not least, the question of whether this is even possible within the given structures and power dynamics. Nevertheless, it is important to us in this examination to discuss how we can still be capable of taking action.
We offer workshops, lectures, and multi-day seminars on the following topics:
- A Critical Introduction to Development Cooperation
- From Colonialism to Development Cooperation
- Avoiding Racism in Development Policy Outreach
- Racism in Development Cooperation (e.g., with a focus on ideology, work structures, project work, public relations, fundraising, educational work, etc.)
- Partnership Concepts
- A Critical Examination of the Millennium Development Goals
- Missionary Work, Development Aid, and Colonialism
- Preventing Racism in Development Volunteer Programs
- Critical Monitoring of South-North Volunteer Programs
Other topics are available upon request. Here are some examples.