In this episode, we speak with Ralf Syring, expert in decolonial and solidarity work and later so-called “international development” in the African and Central American continents. He studied theology, sociology and medicine, and is an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction on the most diverse subjects - all of which have helped to inform the conversation we share here.
The episode takes us through the topics of what development does, can or should mean, and to whom; to what the role of time-limited “projects” is in this; and to the role of specific contexts - be they about language or something else; and bringing us ultimately to the great importance of a contextually specific approach to anything we wish to act on. This decidedly does not mean that everything is relative or that nothing can be more widely valid than one specific context, as Ralf points out from the beginning, but when we want to make a change somewhere, we had better know that place, those people, that language, and not least that more-than-human context.
Take-aways for planners, by Ralf Syring:
Make sure to consider context well before you act - in terms of history, linguistics, definitions and wishes of development, the role of your identity in relation to those you work with, and many more themes (think critically and reflectively).
Be careful not to make “planetary planning” about making one plan for the entire planet! (answer from the hosts: we certainly hope planetary planning will always be about diverse and various solutions, not about masterplans and blueprints!)
References from the episode:
Kingsolver, Barbara (1998) The Poisonwood Bible. New York (Harper Collins).
Campbell, Catherine (2003) Letting Them Die. Why HIV/AIDS Prevention Programmes Fail. Oxford (African Issues, James Currey, the International African Institute), Bloomington (Indiana University Press)
Syring, Ralf (2019) Seeking to Find out Why Things Happen. Variations on a Theme of Diallo Sampa’s Grandfather. In: Jan Visser, Muriel Visser (ed.): Seeking Understanding. The Lifelong Pursuit to Build the Scientific Mind. Leiden (Brill)
Syring, Ralf (2005) The Mine, Dignity, and a Hospital's Protection against Raids. In: Lukas Einsele: One Step Beyond – The Mine Revisited. Berlin (Hatje Cantz)
Contextualized Perspectives on Development and Justice, with Ralf Syring