Decolonial theory and participatory development

: A productive tension?

Abstract

This thesis explores the viability and desirability of a productive tension between decolonial theory
(DT) and development through the agency of development practitioners working in participatory
development (specifically with community consultation, local ownership, and knowledge capacity
building methods). DT and development discourse can appear opposite or antithetical, due to the DT criticism of development as modernity and the subjugated role of aid beneficiaries in development. I argue that balancing the antagonism of DT and development can make the tension between them productive, with each providing a perpetual source of criticism and change for the other without negating or dismissing either. I argue that this can address persistent criticisms of both by affording DT greater practical influence with development practitioners and development greater ethical legitimacy. By using a Barthesian discourse analysis within a science and technology framework, I analyse the ways in which development practitioners are using their agency to take influence from DT, or not, and the structural power relations that facilitate or impede that influence. This analysis results in a view of the relationship between DT and development always being filtered through the agency of practitioners at both the individual and organisational level. The focus on agency contributes to literature on DT and its impacts as well as updating literature on the agency of development practitioners, through the empirical data collected.

Date of Award	30 Sept 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Ryerson B Christie (Supervisor) & Terrell F Carver (Supervisor)