Tensions And Reflections About The Domination Of Technical Knowledge In Community Development

It can be argued there are three dimensions of knowledge for sustainable community development: technical, hermeneutic and emancipatory knowledge. Technical knowledge is associated with dominant technical, political and corporate approaches while hermeneutic knowledge is about practical interests, mutual self- understanding and is rooted in action. Emancipatory knowledge transcends and synthesizes the first two kinds of knowledge and leads to a liberation of self- consciousness and new freedoms. This empirical study is about the tensions and reflections of Japanese and South American change agents who work within a technically- driven community development initiative in South America. One of the conclusions is that technical change agents are not detached but are also changed by the communities they serve. Shared learning can emerge if there are opportunities for reflection and a greater openness to hermeneutic knowledge from the participants.