| This dissertation compares Western European and North American concepts of self, other and time with those of Southeast Asia, and explores how these concepts affect the practice of four non-profit organizations involved in promoting socioeconomic development.; Research conversations with twenty participants were tape recorded, transcribed and analyzed for common themes, using Paul Ricoeur's concepts of mimesis and narrative identity and Luigi Giussani's understandings of selfhood and education. Ten of the conversations were with participants from Thailand who were associated with three Thai non-profit organizations: the National Institute for Development Administration (NIDA), a government-supported research institution; the Thailand Rural Reconstruction Movement (TRRM), loosely affiliated with the Mass Education Movement of Chinese educator James C. Yen; and the non-traditional Buddhist communities of Santi Asoke. The other ten conversations were with participants associated with the Association of Volunteers in International Service (AVSI) an Italian non-governmental organization (NGO), recognized among the top "Global 500" NGOs by the United Nations, and loosely associated with Communion and Liberation, a lay movement within the Catholic Church. The questions guiding the research were: how is the self conceived of in relation to others in the language, rationalities and belief systems that influence these organizations; how are understandings of time related to concepts of identity and socioeconomic development; how is the relationship between identity and socioeconomic development played out in practice; and how is the concept of the person related to understandings of adult learning in terms of community and organizational development? The analysis involved organizing the data according to themes, and extracting appropriate excerpts and quotes from the conversation transcripts and the theoretical literature.; The seven major findings of the study are that: human beings as "persons" must be the focus of development; development must be meaningful to those who are its beneficiaries; inviting participation, creating opportunities to speak and sharing responsibility are essential in development; appropriate development addresses local community and cultural contexts; time is an essential ingredient in development; and education is the key to development. The study concludes with the author's personal reflections upon meaning and development. |
