Amplifying voices of development: Insights from Indigenous Maya leaders of El Quiche, Guatemala.

The concept of development is under immense scrutiny. By questioning what is development and development for whom?' a re-thinking of these practices is underway throughout the world. Critical development practitioners are seriously evaluating development' to better understand the divided views between the North and South from a richly interdisciplinary perspective. In my thesis, I present findings of a recent research project in which I sought the perspectives of eight Indigenous Maya leaders of El Quiché, Guatemala. Based on interviews conducted in September 2010 in the Guatemalan highland city of Santa Cruz del Quiché and surrounding area, I attempt to better understand the meaning(s) of the word development from an Indigenous perspective, and how a self-determined vision of life best suits local communities. Based on their lived experiences, the Indigenous Maya interviewees asserted that development' practices prescribed by the local government and country's elites, as well as outside non-government organizations and multinational corporations, are not in the best interests of the Indigenous population. I attempt to highlight how the imposition of the development' itself has become, to these leaders, synonymous with forms of racism, inequality, exclusion, oppression and a loss of Indigenous identity and culture. Rather, Maya leaders in El Quiché stress the right to self-determined development, cultural preservation and a more holistic vision of life for individuals and communities. --P. ii.