ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the challenges and opportunities of curating and experimenting with more cooperative, horizontal and participatory forms of deliberative development in and with communities. It expresses that despite the pervasiveness of problematic approaches and methodologies, especially in donor-driven models of development, there are liminal spaces that celebrate the agency of oppressed groups and thus allow for genuine exploration of, and experimentation with, deliberative development alongside communities. The book emphasizes that the role of humanist educators—who exercise what the pioneer of liberation theology Gustavo Gutiérrez defines as the "preferential option for the poor"—is significant. It explores the conceptions, values, attitudes and consciousness that so often govern the design and implementation of development interventions by people and institutions. The book also examines the culture of development by oftentimes-antagonistic groups, as they negotiate and leverage power before and during the act of speaking interventions.
