Deconstructing Development: The Use of Power and Pity in the International Development Discourse1

This study examines how power operates within international development discourse and investigates its effects on development organizations and on individuals—donors and recipients of aid alike. It analyzes the narratives pertaining to Afghanistan that are (re)produced by five different types of development actors: a donor state, a recipient state, an international financial institution, an international organization, and a non-governmental...