Self-reliance as a component of development agendas is often relegated to the background if mentioned at all. This thesis explores the value of self-reliance in meaningful progress, as well as the conditions which enable self-reliance, paying particular attention to the role of critical thinking in that process. It investigates individual and collective use of local knowledge in formulating strategies for progressive community development in collaboration with international agencies. By drawing attention to the practical aspects of development interventions, the challenges can be observed from an equality, justice and inclusion perspective.
The thesis works with the frameworks of Amartya Sen’s and Martha Nussbaum’s human development and capabilities approach calling attention to the value of freedom in development and the capabilities to do and to be. It adopts a critical theoretical approach from an emancipatory perspective and argues that a useful way to consider self-reliance may be Immanuel Kant’s perspective on Enlightenment as emergence from self-imposed inability to use one’s own knowledge. This approach emphasises the value in acknowledging the views of those the process is meant to support. By approaching the issues through Freirean dialogue and participatory methods, that address concerns of power relationships, the thesis provides a ‘space to speak’ for the community groups. This is facilitated by the use of the creative engagement tool ‘Ketso’. This thesis argues that meaningful progress is inclusive and that it should pay attention to mutual processes of knowledge production. The findings highlight the role of lifelong learning as a mediating process where knowledge is exchanged and where reciprocation takes place in a way that respects other people’s values and interests
