Boakye-Achampong, Stanley
2 Publications in AERD
Author Publications
Export PDFWhat Makes an Ideal Partner? African Libraries and Neoliberal Discourses in International Development
By Boakye-Achampong, Stanley
This study investigates 'partnership' as a key discursive tool for extending neoliberalism in the field of international development. As a case study, it examines the language-in-use among development organizations when discussing public libraries as potential partners in Africa. Critical discourse analysis of 20 interviews with development practitioners via Fairclough's three-part framework and keyword analysis illuminates how libraries are discursively constructed as partners. Findings reveal discourses centered around competition, visibility, and growth which uphold market logic and responsibilize potential partners, reproducing colonial power imbalances between Global North and South. As other institutions such as universities and NGOs grapple with similar dynamics, we must be attendant to the power asymmetries that are obscured by discourses of partnership in order to navigate the tension between increasing access to funding and advancing economic justice. We suggest measures for organizations to resist neoliberalism through self-conscious effort and investment toward more equitable partnerships. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press.
African Libraries in Development: Perceptions and Possibilities
By Boakye-Achampong, Stanley
Across Africa, libraries are contributing to development in their countries. However, this work remains largely unrecognized by international stakeholders in development. To bridge this gap, this research examines the current perceptions of libraries among development organizations and asks how libraries may gain visibility as partners. Interviews with development practitioners indicate that perceptions of libraries remain low and limited but allow for possible roles for libraries as community-embedded institutions and development resource hubs. To engage these roles, the collection of output data is important in order to demonstrate the capacity of libraries to participate meaningfully in development work. © 2020 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
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