The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia
Abstract The recent hype and ascendancy in the discourse of community capacity-building has generated a lot of heated debate among development and policy experts on its applicability in various contexts. In particular, questions have been raised on the presup...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of Queensland
2007-07-01
|
| Series: | The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education |
| Online Access: | https://ajie.atsis.uq.edu.au/ajie/article/view/480 |
| _version_ | 1797965932113428480 |
|---|---|
| author | Jonathan Makuwira |
| author_facet | Jonathan Makuwira |
| author_sort | Jonathan Makuwira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract
The recent hype and ascendancy in the discourse of
community capacity-building has generated a lot of heated
debate among development and policy experts on its
applicability in various contexts. In particular, questions
have been raised on the presuppositions inherent in the
discourse and, more so, the tension that exists between
theory and practice. This paper aims to contribute to the
ongoing debate about the politics of capacity-building.
While the paper begins by deconstructing the theoretical
principles that underpin capacity-building, it seeks to
show how the concept is covertly used to subjugate and
create power imbalance between the “builders” (supposedly
those with the power) and the “beneficiaries” (those
assumed to be powerless), in the name of development and
empowerment. Specifically, the paper seeks to respond to
the following questions: What is “capacity”? Who needs
capacity? Capacity to do what? Whose interest(s) is/are
served when peoples’ capacities are built? The paper
concludes by critically examining the tensions,
contradictions, and ambivalences from the canvassed
responses to the questions above and suggests alternatives
ways of looking at capacity-building in Indigenous
communities.
|
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:07:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d6fbfb7d025940e5839a9422dbd7ceff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2049-7784 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:07:48Z |
| publishDate | 2007-07-01 |
| publisher | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of Queensland |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-d6fbfb7d025940e5839a9422dbd7ceff2023-01-03T02:53:21ZengAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of QueenslandThe Australian Journal of Indigenous Education2049-77842007-07-0136S110.1017/S1326011100004804The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in AustraliaJonathan Makuwira0Spirituality and Research CentreAbstract The recent hype and ascendancy in the discourse of community capacity-building has generated a lot of heated debate among development and policy experts on its applicability in various contexts. In particular, questions have been raised on the presuppositions inherent in the discourse and, more so, the tension that exists between theory and practice. This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing debate about the politics of capacity-building. While the paper begins by deconstructing the theoretical principles that underpin capacity-building, it seeks to show how the concept is covertly used to subjugate and create power imbalance between the “builders” (supposedly those with the power) and the “beneficiaries” (those assumed to be powerless), in the name of development and empowerment. Specifically, the paper seeks to respond to the following questions: What is “capacity”? Who needs capacity? Capacity to do what? Whose interest(s) is/are served when peoples’ capacities are built? The paper concludes by critically examining the tensions, contradictions, and ambivalences from the canvassed responses to the questions above and suggests alternatives ways of looking at capacity-building in Indigenous communities. https://ajie.atsis.uq.edu.au/ajie/article/view/480 |
| spellingShingle | Jonathan Makuwira The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education |
| title | The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia |
| title_full | The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia |
| title_fullStr | The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia |
| title_short | The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia |
| title_sort | politics of community capacity building contestations contradictions tensions andambivalencesin the discourse in indigenous communities in australia |
| url | https://ajie.atsis.uq.edu.au/ajie/article/view/480 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jonathanmakuwira thepoliticsofcommunitycapacitybuildingcontestationscontradictionstensionsandambivalencesinthediscourseinindigenouscommunitiesinaustralia AT jonathanmakuwira politicsofcommunitycapacitybuildingcontestationscontradictionstensionsandambivalencesinthediscourseinindigenouscommunitiesinaustralia |