SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This chapter examines the ways in which the international development paradigm reproduces and reinforces racialised and gendered subjectivities and how these identities are constructed through everyday encounters where development takes place. It also examines the architecture of aid as one of power, borne from the colonial project. The chapter explores linkages between postcolonial and black feminist thought as a basis for developing deeper understanding of the complex realities arising from new global–local moves. It also explores what can be considered a postcolonial interaction within the Global South, but does not place its focus on the engagement between the former colonised and colonisers. The chapter presents the narratives and contradictions that play out in the experiences of the female aid workers. It argues that pushing the boundaries of work on aid workers, diaspora communities and postcolonial and black feminisms can open a space for deeper understanding of these experiences.