Reflecting Forewords is an unashamedly ambitious book. Full of lessons from the past that are relevant for the future, it is a compilation of inspiring forewords from books written by Robert Chambers; one of the most influential and prolific scholars to write about participation, poverty, and knowledge in development studies. Tessa Lewin, Robert’s colleague and an experienced practitioner and researcher, has worked with Robert to weave together the forewords alongside a series of reflections from other practitioners and scholars in the field.
In our world of dramatic unforeseeable change, Reflecting Forewords seeks to draw lessons and present insights that should not be ephemeral, but can contribute on a lasting way to policy, practice and research in the rest of our 21st century. Readers will draw their own conclusions. The orientation is forward-looking into our unpredictable future, stressing the need to be alert, in touch, nimble, and guided by reflexivity.
This curated collection of resurfaced gems will inspire development professionals, teachers and graduate students of development studies, policymakers, historians of development thinking and practice, activists, and all those who are concerned with a better life for all.
Table of contents
Foreword, Melissa Leach
Introduction
The themes
Foreword to Imposing Aid: Emergency Assistance to Refugees (1986) by B. E. Harrell-Bond
Reflections from Priya Deshingkar
Editorial introduction to IDS Bulletin Vulnerability: how the poor cope (1989)
Reflections from Naila Kabeer
Reflections from Keetie Roelen
Forewords to Beyond Farmer First (1994) and Farmer First Revisited (2009)
Reflections from John Thompson
Foreword to South African Participatory Poverty Assessment (1997)
Reflections from Keetie Roelen
Foreword to the Japanese translation (2000) of Whose Reality Counts? Putting the First Last (1997)
Reflections from Rosemary McGee
Foreword to Myth of community: Gender issues in participatory development (1998) by Irene Guijt and Meera Kaul Shah
Reflections from Andrea Cornwall
Foreword to Stepping Forward: children and the future (1998) by editors Victoria Johnson, Edda Ivan-Smith, Gill Gordon, Pat Pridmore, and Patta Scott
Reflections from Michael Gibbons
Forewords to Who changes? Institutionalizing participation in development (1998) by editors James Blackburn and Jeremy Holland, and Whose voice? (1998) by editor Jeremy Holland
Who changes? Institutionalizing participation in development (1998)
Whose voice? (1998)
Reflections from Jeremy Holland
Foreword to In the Hands of the People, selected papers of Anil C. Shah (2001)
Reflections from Sachin Oza
Foreword to the Japanese translation of Participatory Workshops (2003)
Reflections from Jo Howard and Patta Scott-Villiers
Draft foreword to How to Design a Training Course: a guide to participatory curriculum development (2003) by Peter Taylor
Reflections from Peter Taylor
Foreword to The Ripped Chest (2004) by Harsh Mander
Reflections from Harsh Mander
Foreword to Exploring the Science of Complexity: Ideas and implications for development and humanitarian efforts (2008). by Ben Ramalingam and Harry Jones with Toussaint Reba and John Young
Reflections from Marina Apgar
Foreword to Seasonality, Rural Livelihoods and Development (2011) edited by Stephen Devereux, Robert Chambers, Rachel Sabates-Wheeler, Richard Longhurst
Reflections from Stephen Devereux
Afterword in Who Counts? (2013) by editor Jeremy Holland
Reflections from Jeremy Holland
Foreword to Poverty and development in China: alternative approaches to poverty assessment (2013) by Caizhen Lu
Reflections from Tami Blumenfield
Foreword to Wellbeing and Quality of Life Assessment: A practical guide by Sarah C White, Asha Abeyasekera (2014)
Reflections from Rosalind Willi
Reflections from Jackie Shaw
Foreword to Participation Pays: Pathways for post 2015 (2015) edited by Tom Thomas and Pradeep Narayanan
Reflections from Tom Thomas
Preface to Can We Know Better? Reflections for development (2017) by Robert Chambers
Reflections from Jamie Myers
Foreword to Adventures in the Aid Trade by Richard Holloway (2020)
Reflections from Richard Holloway
Failing forwards by Tessa Lewin
Knowing better
Doing better – towards radical equality
