Routledge Explorations in Development Studies

Excerpt from review in Progress in Development Studies: 20, 1 (2020)

"This book [contributes] to existing critiques of development discourse and practice, such as those emerging from postcolonial studies, participatory development, feminist studies, and postdevelopment literature. Focusing on these issues through a gender perspective, the book uniquely contributes to these bodies of literature. Development practitioners wishing to engage in a critical reflection of their work, and the industry in general, will find this book valuable. It does not only offer a much-needed counter-perspective to dominant approaches in development, but also proposes a clear way forward. It provides an accessible entry point to some of the key issues problematized by a wide range of scholars seeking to address the tendency of development interventions to (re)produce power asymmetries." -- Diana Jimenez Thomas Rodriguez, Department of International Development, University of East Anglia, UK

"This important book is essential reading for all who would like to see a shift from instrumentalising women in the service of neoliberal development to transformative social change that tackles entrenched inequalities and challenges discrimination on the basis of gender." -- Andrea Cornwall, Head of the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, UK

"Gillian Fletcher has written a must-read book for anyone who wants to understand and do international development differently. Drawing on a thoughtful analysis of several case studies, Fletcher asks tough questions and makes compelling arguments for rethinking how development is done: starting by acknowledging the importance of emotions and looking at ourselves in brutally honest ways. This is a refreshing look at the current state of the aid industry, one that is driven by acronyms, cookie-cutter definitions and hasty solutions to complex and seldom understood problems." -- Navanita Bhattacharya, Steering Group Member, Australian Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Women Peace and Security, Australia

"This is no ordinary book about gender but a salutary and timely shock to past and much present thinking and practice in development, gender-related or not. Drawing on nearly twenty years' field experience and [a range of] case studies, Gillian Fletcher contrasts the boxes and categories of fixed knowledge with an iterative practical wisdom approach to complex social contexts. This is a must read for all development professionals, whether activist or academic, national or international, or working in Civil Society or government. Its exploration of frontiers of professional understanding forces us to questioning how we see things, think and act." -- Robert Chambers, Research Associate, Institute of Development Studies, UK