A new village in Sri Lanka: learning lessons there, sharing lessons here

Abstract

Purpose

The authors have three purposes in writing this paper: to share the authors' experiences “catalyzing” reconstruction of a village in southern Sri Lanka four months after its destruction by the Indian Ocean tsunami, to suggest that what the authors learned in a “developing world” setting has relevance in the authors' “developed world” classrooms and practices, and to consider the tactics that locals took both to engage and resist the authors' assistance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors' approach was participatory (working as laborers for ten days), reflective (reconsidering the authors' experiences two years later and finding their influence in the authors' recent work with students), and theoretical (layering an autoethnographic framework over the authors' reflections).

Findings

It is found that traces of the Sri Lankan project can be found in the authors' work with students in the USA and Canada, and that while it is possible to find examples of locals' resistance within the village rebuilding process, incorporating such potentials and perspectives into the authors' everyday work as professors has its own complexities.

Originality/value

It is the authors' hope that this case study will contribute to the reversal of a dominant Western and educated perspective that “we” know what is best for “them” and that “they” must learn to appreciate what “we” have in mind. This challenge is taken by highlighting applications “here” of the authors' lessons learned “there” and by making themselves aware of how locals of all sorts and locations often resist the intentions of others, no matter how considered and shared the plans might be.

Citation

Janz, W., Gray, T. and Mulvihill, T. (2008), "A new village in Sri Lanka: learning lessons there, sharing lessons here", Property Management, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 319-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/02637470810913487