Breaking the single story: Narratives of educational leaders in post-earthquake Haiti

This dissertation focuses on the stories and experiences of seven Haitian educational leaders who work in and with the Haitian Ministry of Education and have, since the January 2010 earthquake, been working to rebuild and restructure the education sector in Haiti. This research draws on critical theory, feminist post-structuralism, critical race theory, post-colonial studies and critical historiography to investigate the intersections between leadership, educational reform and international partnerships in a neocolonial post-disaster context. The narratives of the leaders presented in this dissertation not only allow for a deeper understanding of the post-earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti, but also have important implications for the field of international development more broadly. This research was designed to challenge the deficit-oriented positioning of Haiti by uncovering and highlighting stories of the post-earthquake reconstruction efforts that would have otherwise been buried and distorted (Heidegger, 1996/1953) by the neocolonial discourse (Bhabha, 1990; Loomba, 1998; Said, 1978), and the neoliberal post-disaster discourse (de Waal, 2008; Gunewardena & Nandini, 2008; Lakoff, 2010; Roberts, 2010; Schuller, 2008)– discourses that have dangerously positioned the Haitian government as corrupt and incapable and the international community as the savior (Clark, 2001; Munro, 2006). It is argued in this dissertation that the practice of international development in Haiti (and elsewhere) must fundamentally change, and an alternative model for moving forward is presented. This model is based in solidarity and grounded in a deep respect for the local context and appreciation of local knowledge. The model has been greatly shaped by the experiences of the participants of this research–and by the field of critical development studies more broadly (Escobar, 1995; Cleaver, 1999; Cooke & Kothari, 2001; Kothari & Minogue, 2002; Veltmeyer, 2011)–and highlights the importance of listening to and learning from these Haitian leaders in order to develop authentic partnerships rather than maintaining the false generosity that ultimately serves to perpetuate the inequitable power relations that currently exist (Freire, 2007 /1970)