Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book tackles several myths concerning sex and sexuality in the development industry, including the myth that the development industry is not in the business of sex. It analyzes representations of hijras/kinnars/arvanis in India as they have been invoked in HIV/AIDS, development, and trans/national academic discourse. The book then addresses the imagined heterosexual norm in the field of economics. It also provides an examination of GLOBE, the staff organization for “Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Employees” at the World Bank. The book examines non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and argues that these organizations can be read as sites of queer possibilities, even in the context of hegemonic neoliberal development in which the institutionalization of NGOs sometimes converges with the goals of neoliberal programs. It then presents a case study of World Bank export-promotion policy in Ecuador centered on the flower industry.