A Bit Too Simple

Beyond the Hero Narrative: Rethinking Development and Sustainability

Narratives portraying development workers as heroes and local populations as victims in need of rescue have fueled problematic policies and interventions. This analysis, grounded in fieldwork across four continents, critically examines these pervasive metanarratives.

First, it reveals how their oversimplified and universalistic plots fail to represent the complexities of lived experiences. Second, it argues…