Ground zero project development in Burma: Appropriating the future through history, identity, and imagination in assessment

Toward the end of the 20th century and into the 21 st century, the principles and practices of development began to veer from extractive, numbers-based, scientifically-grounded assessment methods, to a lexicon of participation-centered approaches that have sought to fill the holes left behind by traditional methods. However, for an interpretive participatory approach to take hold in the assessment arena, a shift in underlying assumptions must occur.;A shift toward an interpretive approach finds it roots in the work of the anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1973) and social philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1984, 1985, 1988; 1992). An interpretive orientation toward assessment in development in Burma could be meaningful and appropriate in its aim to ameliorate poverty and struggle of the Burmese people. An interpretive orientation houses the power to transform the way in which the development act is carried out by reconfiguring how we see ourselves in relation to others and the responsibility that ensues from this insight.;This research study followed a critical hermeneutic orientation and was guided by a research protocol process established by Ellen Herda (1999). Field-based research carried out in this tradition means, "learning about language, listening, and understanding" (Herda 1999: 93) so as to inform the creation of a text about assessment in international development.;This dissertation examined the nature of assessment in international development and the ways in which development can be different if housed in an interpretive orientation. This participatory inquiry with eight development practitioners in the Union of Burma and in the United States, created an understanding of the ways in which interpretive practices are already employed in the field, and the value that practitioners place on interpretive approaches as a means for understanding and application. I explored this new understanding of assessment in international development in light of Paul Ricoeur's theories of Narrative Identity, Mimesis, and Imagination.;The findings for this research study include: an alternative assessment orientation is emerging; narratives in assessment reveal identity; and adult learning in assessment is central to the process. These findings hopefully serve as a framework and catalyst for broadening the discussion on assessment practices. Suggestions for practical application based on the findings include: a reorientation toward working in partnership; re-figuring assessment practices in development to include narrative based practices; and thinking of assessment practices as a continuous learning process.