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ABSTRACT
This article is based on knowledge gained through more than two decades of established ways of working by Imkaan, a Black feminist ending-violence against women and girls organisation based in London. At the time of writing, both authors were employed at Imkaan. Imkaan’s work and existence is clearly grounded in ‘those who came before us’: in the herstories, activist struggles, and resistance movements of Black feminists across the globe. Our arguments and insights here are based on discussions and experience of feminists working in Imkaan and more widely in feminist movements in the UK and other countries and regions. From these, we distil lessons that are valuable to current discussions relating to re-imagining development. We critique the notion of ‘development’ itself, asking who and what is being ‘developed’, and by whom? We argue that an intersectional understanding of development is predicated upon ‘truth-telling’. This involves engaging with discomfort, being honest about our histories, understanding one’s positionality and power, and thinking about why we do the work that we do.
Cet article se fonde sur des connaissances acquises durant vingt ans de méthodes de travail établies par Imkaan, une organisation féministe noire basée à Londres cherchant à mettre fin à la violence à l’égard des femmes et des filles. Au moment de la rédaction de cet article, les deux auteurs étaient employées par Imkaan.
Le travail et l’existence d’Imkaan ont comme point de départ clair « celles qui nous ont précédées » : histoires de femmes, luttes d’activistes et mouvements de résistance de féministes noires aux quatre coins du monde. Les arguments et aperçus que nous présentons ici se fondent sur des discussions et sur l’expérience de féministes travaillant au sein d’Imkaan et plus généralement au sein de mouvements féministes au Royaume-Uni et dans d’autres pays et régions. Nous en extrayons des enseignements utiles dans les discussions actuelles sur les manières possibles de réimaginer le développement. Nous présentons une critique de la notion même de « développement », et demandons qui est développé et qu’est-ce qui est développé, et par qui. Nous soutenons que, pour parvenir à une compréhension intersectionnelle du développement, il faut partir de la vérité. Cela suppose de faire face à des situations inconfortables, d’être honnête sur nos histoires, de comprendre ses propres positions et son propre pouvoir, et de se demander pourquoi nous avons choisi d’entreprendre ce travail.
El presente artículo parte del conocimiento adquirido durante más de dos décadas de formas de trabajo establecidas en Imkaan, una organización feminista negra con sede en Londres, cuyo objetivo es poner fin a la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas. Al momento de escribir este artículo, ambas autoras eran empleadas de Imkaan. El trabajo y la existencia de Imkaan se sustentan claramente en “las que nos precedieron”: en relatos formulados por mujeres, en luchas de activistas y de movimientos de resistencia de las feministas negras en todo el mundo. Nuestros argumentos y nuestro entendimiento en ese sentido surgen de discusiones y experiencias de feministas que trabajan para Imkaan y, más ampliamente, de movimientos feministas del Reino Unido y otros países y regiones. Apoyándonos en ello, extraemos lecciones que constituyen aportes valiosos para las discusiones actuales relacionadas con reimaginar el desarrollo. Criticamos la noción de “desarrollo” en sí, preguntándonos quién y qué se está “desarrollando” y por quién. Argumentamos que una comprensión transversal del desarrollo se basa en “decir la verdad”. Esto implica involucrarse con la incomodidad, ser honestas respecto de nuestras historias, comprender nuestra posición y el poder que esta conlleva y pensar por qué hacemos el trabajo que hacemos.
Acknowledgements
The opinions of Baljit Banga (current Executive Director of Imkaan), Dorett Jones, Marai Larasi, and Sumanta Roy have been invaluable in framing this article. For more information about Imkaan's current research, strategic advocacy, and policy work, see www.imkaan.org.uk or follow us on twitter @Imkaan. For specific enquiries or requests contact Baljit Banga, Executive Director, at [email protected] or Sumanta Roy, Head of Research, Evaluation and Development, at [email protected]
Notes on contributors
Neha Kagal, PhD, is an intersectional feminist, activist, academic, and researcher who cares deeply about building a more equitable world. She grew up in India where she worked with various groups of informal economy women workers, most notably a feminist trade union of women wastepickers. Her research interests include VAWG, poverty reduction, and sustainable livelihoods. Now based in London, she is interested in the interconnectedness between development organisations in the global North and South; drawing on principles of mutual trust, reciprocal learning, and authentic partnership. She believes that change starts from within, and to this end, she is a passionate advocate for leaning into discomfort, both individual and collective. Postal address: c/o The Editor, Gender & Development, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Oxford OX4 2JY, UK. Email: [email protected]
Lia Latchford is an anti-racist feminist, writer, and researcher committed to equality and social change. She has worked in the UK ending-VAWG sector for the last 12 years, producing research, evaluation, policy, and campaigns at the intersection of race, gender, and age. She is particularly passionate about working with young women, and from 2010 to 2017 co-led Purple Drum, an award-winning project to archive and amplify young Black and minoritised women’s voices. From 2014 to 2016 she led on policy and campaigns for the MsUnderstood partnership, a project set up to address violence between young people. Over the last two years, her work has focused on the design and delivery of evaluations for a range of UK-based ending-violence organisations. Email: [email protected]
Notes
1 GADN is a network of UK-based NGOs and consultants working globally on issues of gender equality and women’s rights in international development.
2 Generally, African Caribbean and Asian men were paid lower wages than white men. There was a racial and gender hierarchy, with African Caribbean and Asian women at the bottom.
3 Apna Haq is a survivor-led ‘by and for’ organisation that supports Black and minoritised women (BME) and girls in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who are experiencing any form of violence. The organisation holds many years of experience in the forms of violence that disproportionately affect BME women, alongside working against racism and Islamophobia – which often amplifies their experiences of violence. More details can be found at www.apnahaq.org.uk.
4 While we do not examine the politics of race in development in this article we believe that a critique of ‘whiteness’ within international development is central to robust intersectional praxis.
5 Full report available at https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2018/08/a-thousand-ways-to-solve-our-problems (last checked 8 January 2020).
6 This is grounded in the thinking of Audre Lorde, particularly present in ‘There is no hierarchy of oppressions’, which was published by the Council on Interracial Books for Children in a bulletin on ‘Homophobia and Education’ in 1983.
7 This section draws from content of an Imkaan training workshop on Black feminist data-collection delivered for the ‘by and for’ women’s sector as part of a UN Women project in 2019.
8 Again, this section draws from content of an Imkaan training workshop on Black feminist data-collection delivered for the ‘by and for’ women’s sector as part of a UN Women project in 2019.
9 Comments based on an interview with Marai Larasi, London, 21 July 2019.
10 This title is adopted from bell hooks’ Feminist Theory: From the Margins to the Centre, published in 1984.
11 See https://theantioppressionnetwork.com/allyship/ (last checked 8 January 2020).
12 From an interview with Marai Larasi, London, 21 July 2019.
13 More information on the FRIDA funds participatory grant-making model can be found at https://youngfeministfund.org/2014/06/5-reasons-why-frida-grants-are-unique/ (last checked 8 January 2020).