The Politics of Community Capacity-Building: Contestations, Contradictions, Tensions andAmbivalencesin the Discourse in Indigenous Communities in Australia

Abstract

The recent hype and ascendancy in the discourse of community capacity-building has generated a lot of heated debate among development and policy experts on its applicability in various contexts. In particular, questions have been raised on the presuppositions inherent in the discourse and, more so, the tension that exists between theory and practice. This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing debate about the politics of capacity-building. While the paper begins by deconstructing the theoretical principles that underpin capacity-building, it seeks to show how the concept is covertly used to subjugate and create power imbalance between the “builders” (supposedly those with the power) and the “beneficiaries” (those assumed to be powerless), in the name of development and empowerment. Specifically, the paper seeks to respond to the following questions: What is “capacity”? Who needs capacity? Capacity to do what? Whose interest(s) is/are served when peoples’ capacities are built? The paper concludes by critically examining the tensions, contradictions, and ambivalences from the canvassed responses to the questions above and suggests alternatives ways of looking at capacity-building in Indigenous communities.

Capacity development and Indigenous social enterprise: The case of the Rirratjingu clan in northeast Arnhem Land

“…The exceptionally limited self-determination of Australian Indigenous people is evidenced by their welfare dependency, poor development indicators compared with non-Indigenous Australians, their struggles for resource rights, and their fractured social fabric (Smith and Hunt 2008). Australian governments have failed to support efforts for Indigenous self-determination and have instead actively undermined it (Makuwira, 2007). Smith and Hunt (2008) argue that resilient Indigenous governance structures and strong networks of support are key to Indigenous self-determination, and indeed, capacity development efforts in Indigenous communities through social enterprises such as Nuwul facilitate a process towards self-determination.…”

“…The available literature does not romanticise capacity development as a 'cure all' for Indigenous disadvantage, but instead outlines a number of constraints and criticisms of capacity development endeavours in Indigenous Australia, which need to be examined. For example, Makuwira (2007) notes that capacity development in the Indigenous Australian context has focused on deficits, failures, and powerlessness within Indigenous communities. Based on lessons from the international development context, capacity development initiatives that build on existing local capacities, rather than focus on addressing weaknesses, are much more effective (Hunt, 2005).…”

“…Since the abolishment of the Australian and Torres Strait Islander Commission, there are no nationwide institutions that provide programmes and support in leadership and management or strategic and organisational development as there are in the United States and the United Kingdom (Hunt, 2005). The abolishment of Australian and Torres Strait Islander Commission, as noted by Makuwira (2007), had major implications for Indigenous self-determination and capacity development, marking the beginning of a systematic tearing down of 'institutional structures of black Australia [which involved] cutting funding to bodies such as land councils and health and legal services' (Tingle, 2015: 32).…”

“…Some writers argue that capacity development policies and programmes often fail to acknowledge adequately the important historical and cultural issues of colonisation, community history, exclusion, language, culture, place and the impacts of past misguided policies and programmes (Taylor, 2003; Rochelle Spencer, Martin Brueckner, Gareth Wise and Bundak Marika Chino & DeBruyn, 2006;Makuwira, 2007). Makuwira (2007) argues that community capacitybuilding in Australia, must be understood in its historical terms of the development of Australian settler nationalism, where the goal was not to exploit Indigenous people but to replace them. The failure of the Australian government to recognise the limits in adopting general policies emerging from an international management discourse to address the development of Indigenous communities (Humpage, 2005) is an ongoing failure and thus we see calls by Indigenous leaders for Indigenous models of capacity development.…”

Facilitating the development of Australian Indigenous tourism enterprises: The Business Ready Program for Indigenous Tourism

“…In the Australian context, capacity-building has been acknowledged as an important instrument in helping Indigenous communities and individuals escape their disadvantaged position and reduce their welfare dependency (Chaskin, 2001;HRSCATSIA, 2004;Humpage, 2005). Yet, despite the acknowledged importance of capacity building in Australia and elsewhere there is a diverse and contested array of definitions and interpretations surrounding the concept (HRSCATSIA, 2004;Makuwira, 2006) and how it can be achieved (Fukuda-Parr et al, 2002). A discussion of the definitions and interpretations is outside the scope of this paper but clearly it is an important consideration in any discussion on the topic.…”