Alia Amirali is a left-wing political worker from Pakistan, an academic and a current PhD candidate in the LSE Gender Studies department. She sits down with Frances from InterDev to talk women’s political organising, neoliberal capitalism and the development sector.

FL: How did you become a political worker?

AA: I grew up in Islamabad, Pakistan and I was politicised before I became a political worker as such, in large part because my parents were politically conscious. As I became older, there were movements happening around me; there were slum dwellers’ movements to resist forced evictions from their homes; there were movements by peasant-farmers in the centre of Punjab – the most populated province of the country and Pakistan’s political heartland.

The Okara peasant’s movement in 2002 that I am referring to was a completely unprecedented event for someone of my generation– tens of thousands of farmers were getting up and opposing the biggest political force in the country- the military. These farmers were being evicted from their lands and trying to be brought onto a contract system which was not acceptable to them. That movement was my big, you could say, political ‘awakening’.

After that I actively started to organise when I became a student in a university in Islamabad. Since then, I’ve been organising students, slum dwellers, and various sections of the working classes and labour groups. I was initially associated with a political group that was called the Peoples’ Rights Movement which then decided to merge with other Left parties. This spurred a series of mergers that took place subsequently, culminating in the creation of a new political party in Pakistan which is called the Awami Workers Party, of which I am a member and have also served as an office-bearer.

FL: Can you talk more about the role of women within your political work?

AA: Many of the ‘people’ I have worked with have always been women, whether you look within the student community, the peasants, or the slum dwellers. But they’ve always been invisible in terms of not having a political voice. Pakistan is an extremely patriarchal society, so it’s not surprising that the women within each of these social groups have never had the kind of visibility that men in their communities have had. But it’s not like men in these instances are simply ‘powerful’ or ‘perpetrators’; there are also powerless men in the world, which I think we tend to forget when we hear the word ‘men’! But this should not obscure the fact that relative to women within these communities, men certainly have forms of privilege that women do not.

Being a political worker seriously complicates, in a good way, these hard categories or images that we have when we’re on the outside and we think – oh, these groups are privileged, those groups are victims. It changes that a lot. And it’s very clear that women in these communities have been very active in all of these movements, for example in the movements against the forced evictions of slums in urban cities across Pakistan. They’ve not been the leaders; they haven’t had the visibility so nobody really knows that in these movements if women had not come out, whatever victories have been won would never have been possible. That’s also true of the Okara peasant’s movement. Women across a number of villages actually formed a force called the Thapa force. The thapa is a wooden log that Punjabi villagers use to wash clothes. These women basically used their thapa as a weapon to beat back the military which was coming into their homes to pick up the men and to spread fear amongst the community. It was these ‘oppressed’ rural women who were at the forefront of physical confrontations with the military during the Okara movement– so much for the docile, passive, victim image of the ‘poor, oppressed Third World woman’!

FL: And what do you think perpetuates this image of the ‘passive’ or ‘docile’ woman?

AA: I think some of that has to do with the need for a ‘saviour.’ Every saviour needs a victim to help, right? All such institutions which include the state, the military and the development sector (on the global, national and local levels) need ‘victims’ which are straightforwardly projected as passive beings who need to be helped and liberated by the ‘saviour(s)’.

The invasion of Afghanistan by the US was underpinned very strongly by this image of Afghan women supposedly ‘asking’ to be liberated from these terrible, oppressive, patriarchal Muslim men and the US being the enlightened, civilised saviour of Afghan women. We’ve seen these tropes in many forms for many years and I think the reason they continue to persist despite the fact that they certainly don’t depict ground realities is precisely because if those images go away, then the entire justification for intervention then also falls apart.

And that doesn’t mean that all of these people: women, students and the working class in much of the third world, are not oppressed. They are victims of the system and they have to deal with the consequences of global capitalism, imperialism and patriarchy every day in a way that you and I don’t. But their oppressions are used and manipulated and then presented in a particular way by the development sector, by the media, states and militaries to pin the problem elsewhere; away from where it really lies.

Distorting the problem itself by painting a picture of helpless, passive Third World women whose primary ‘problem’ is their own patriarchal men (with religion often thrown into the mix) basically positions white, rich countries (and men in particular) as the saviours of these people. It hides the complicity of the rich and the powerful, of capitalism, corporations and of the development sector – which refuses to acknowledge that at the root of all of these problems is actually global capitalism and imperialism.

FL: In light of this, how should the development sector be working to achieve the aim of empowering women?

AA: First of all, the development sector looks at problems in a very sectoral and compartmentalised way; for instance, ‘women’ is a category, ‘poverty’ is a category, ‘education’ is a category. This way of categorising different sorts of victims or problems is a problem, because all of these problems are connected.

Many of the programs that I’ve come across in Pakistan and which are probably similar all over the global South have to do with ‘skills training’, micro-credit schemes and things like that. If you look at the logic that is underpinning these schemes and initiatives, you just have to read their descriptions to know that they’re legitimised by being proven to be good for economic growth. There needs to be a recognition that when we talk about ‘development,’ we are talking about the development of a particular economic system which has a name: it is called capitalism.

And anyone who is educated enough to be employed in the development sector knows that capitalism is a system which functions around the needs, interests, and logic of capital, not of people. By trying to solve people’s problems through expanding and further entrenching a system that is inherently anti-people; it’s just an oxymoron. So, first of all, the development sector would have to seriously change its relationship to global capital and rethink which system it’s trying to develop.

Second, we live in the real world where a lot of the money for the development sector comes precisely from capitalist states, capitalist individuals and organisations. So, if what I just said earlier is considered to be absolutely utopian then okay, something that might be more ‘realistic’ could be to demand that the development sector at least try and counter the effects of neoliberal capitalism in particular, which is forcing massive cutbacks on ‘development spending’ and public funds across the globe.

We live in a period now where nation states are pulling back from providing all kinds of social services which citizens need in order to be healthy, or at least functional human beings. The state has, over the last few decades in particular, through what we call neoliberalism, very rapidly stepped away from the provision of these services, thanks to economic policies peddled by institutions like the IMF and World Bank and enforced through international ‘agreements’. If the development sector really wants to help people, it cannot avoid taking a stand against some of the very institutions that comprise the ‘development sector’ itself, like the World Bank and the IMF. The UN, for instance, if it is to become a meaningful and respectable institution in my eyes, cannot continue to be a toothless bystander which goes in and puts band-aids on bullet wounds of people that are being shot right under its nose (both in a literal and figurative sense) and refuses to acknowledge and challenge the realities of capitalist-patriarchy, imperialism, racism, and the systemic production of the very ‘problems’ it seeks to solve.

FL: On an individual level, what advice would you give to LSE students thinking of working in the development sector?

AA: The first thing I would say is that because you are a student at LSE, this means that you are privileged now and you are going to be in a position of privilege later as well. You will have decision-making power, you will have resources at your disposal, you will be influential. And if you go into the development sector, do not assume like everyone around you, that you know what the problem is. So, whatever your project may be, whatever association you may be working with, you must first step back and learn about the context in which you are working rather than assume that you already know what kind of interventions need to be made.

I’m not casting doubt on anyone’s intentions here but more often than not, people with good intentions end up doing really bad things that they didn’t even know were bad and will never really know the consequences of because they don’t have to live with those consequences, unlike the recipients of their ‘benevolent’ interventions.

So, do what you can, understand your limitations in whatever institutions you will be employed in, but remember that a job is always going to be a job. It will not be your politics. Make sure you keep time and space and energy to be able to invest in political work because ultimately that is what’s going to change the world – not your job and not the development sector.

Follow Alia on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/AliaAmiraliOfficial/

Interviewed by Frances Li, LSE International Development Society

In light of today, we bring to your attention the recent winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Banerjee, Duflo and Kremer. The Nobel was awarded for their “experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”. It’s increasingly important that the Nobel committee and other economists identify the significance of development economics and provide its researchers with a platform to encourage conversation.

Click on the link below to find out more about their innovative work:

https://www.wionews.com/opinions/economics-nobel-prize-2019-why-abhijit-banerjee-esther-duflo-and-michael-kremer-won-256045

See the new constitution: Constitution proposal 2019

Your committee

General prerequisite: Applications are only open to current members of InterDev.

Leadership positions

The 2019/20 Executive Committee of InterDev is thrilled to announce that our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Week 1 of Michaelmas Term 2019. At the AGM, we will elect the following two positions. If you want to apply, please just show up and/or fill out the form linked above in order to hear when and where the AGM will take place exactly.

Head of PR & Marketing: Direct the society’s online image, including Instagram, Facebook and website; Manage the PR/Marketing sub-committee; Takes responsibility for copy-editing public content (e.g. blog). Lead the society’s PR & Marketing subcommittee. Desirable: Experience with graphic software, photography skills, good camera

NOW FILLED: Head of Conferences: Direct the society’s flagship conference, the London Development Symposium. This is a week-long conference to be held in LT 2020. Duties will include managing the Conferences sub-committee and liaising with LSE and intercollegiate partners. The sub-committee is jointly responsible for inviting and managing speakers, event management, catering, security, ticketing etc.

General time commitment for leadership positions: six hours per week.

Subcommittee positions

Subcommittee members will be selected by the current Executive Committee. Applications close on Sunday, 6 October 2019 at 23:59. Successful candidates will be invited to an interview in the following week and be notified by the end of that week.

Events manager: The events sub-committee will meet regularly with the Head of Events to organise events. This is including but not limited to ticketing, budgeting, security as well as finding, securing and managing guest speakers. The sub-committee will have the opportunity to chair specific events and to organise their own events.

Sponsor relations manager: The Sponsor relations sub-committee will meet regularly with the Treasurer. Key responsibilities will include finding sponsors via emailing and calling, as well as through personal relationships. Sub-committee members will gain an overview over the whole society and gain marketing skills, as they market the society to potential sponsors.

PR & Marketing manager: The PR & Marketing sub-committee will meet regularly with the Head of Marketing. Key responsibilities will include updating social media (Facebook, Instagram) with publicity for upcoming events, overseeing the InterDev blog and updating the website. Sub-committee members may also help to produce photos and videos for social media pages, help out with producing flyers and photographing events. Desirable: Clear communication skills and experience with graphic software

Conferences: The Conferences sub-committee will organise the society’s flagship event, the London Development Symposium. This is a week-long conference to be held in LT 2020. Duties will include inviting and managing speakers, event management, catering, security, ticketing etc. Desirable: Experience in event management

General time commitment for subcommittee positions: three hours per week.

Calling all InterDev members!

The 2018/2019 Executive Committee of InterDev is thrilled to announce that our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Lent Term, Week 10.

Ahead of the upcoming AGM, the current Executive Committee is hosting an informal drop-in session for all those interested in society leadership positions on Wednesday, 27th February from 12:00-15:00 in Room 2.03, New Academic Building. Come along with any questions or concerns.

In the meantime, see below for role descriptions, with blurbs written by the current Executive Committee.

General prerequisites: Applications are only open to current undergraduates and members of InterDev. We advise interested postgraduate applicants to consider executive involvement in our partner society, DESTIN.

President

The President’s role is to oversee the society’s activities as a whole. You’re responsible for developing ideas to guide InterDev and our activities into the coming year. In addition, you have responsibility for maintaining relations with the Students’ Union, from ensuring compliance to communicating with relevant officers on society activities. You take charge of managing your team and ensuring everyone is contributing and involved (which is definitely easier said than done). Plus, formal/informal outreach and maintaining partnerships comprises a very time-consuming part of your role. Some responsibilities super specific, and contingent on your team’s involvement: for example, sending the weekly newsletter, an event proposal form, or sponsorship application. Versatility is key.

Ideally, the President should be very enthusiastic and willing to devote lots of time and energy to the society’s development (approx. five hours a week, inc. before Michaelmas Term 2019). Whether meeting other student-run initiatives or introducing an event, your role is unavoidably outward-facing, so it’s important to be a clear communicator and confident public speaker. An interest in international development (academic or otherwise) is crucial.

Vice President

Key responsibilities include supporting the president in the running of the society; this can include filling in for the President when necessary and working with the President in key decision-making and outreach (within the LSESU, i.e. to other student societies, and outside campus, i.e. with organisations or potential partners).

Also, you play a role in event organisation and management; for instance through liaising with outside speakers and the co-ordination of event logistics.

Secretary

The Secretary’s role on the Executive Committee is to act as a liaison between society leadership and society members. In addition, you should be responsible for administrative tasks, including booking venues, sending out society emails and taking detailed meeting notes on all internal committee meetings, society meetings and events. Plus, you are encouraged to get involved and lend administrative back-up to event project reams.

The Secretary should attend all society meetings and events, and aim to devote a couple hours a week to completing administrative tasks. As an official liaison between leadership and members, your role is socially demanding and it’s critical to be an effective, clear communicator with admirable time and information management.

Head of PR & Marketing

This position is responsible for managing the reputation of the society; this encompasses marketing events, messaging with individuals, and posting on our social media outlets. Essentially, the duty is to use media and communications to build and maintain a positive relationship with our society members as well as with the LSE student body and the general public.

The ideal person for the job is creative, works well in a team, and has great communication skills.

Treasurer

Being Treasurer for LSESU InterDev is an immensely rewarding experience and will allow you to learn about the inner financials of the student society.

As treasurer you are responsible for the society’s finances and funding. Job Description:

1. Ensure the society is financially healthy and has funds to execute events

2. Approve expenses and reimbursement claims on 365Expenses app

3. Apply for LSE/SU funding (via activates fund, annual fund or similar etc.)

4. Secure sponsorship from an external organisation

Head of Events

As a Head of Events, you come up with and organise events that would cater to the interests of our members. You liaise with external organisations and individuals, as well as work on logistics along with other society members. You also manage a team of events sub-committee who assist with the above.