The UMass Amherst Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) will present “International NGOs in Decolonial Perspective: A Conversation,” featuring Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America, and Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro, secretary general of CARE International, at 4 p.m. Monday, May 1, in the Great Hall of Old Chapel.

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Framed by idealist visions of post-war reconstruction and international cooperation, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) originated in the Global North and have been part of the post-colonial geopolitics affecting millions of people in the Global South. Even as INGOs have evolved in diverse ways, the legacies of colonialism mark them today, and shape their contradictory effects on global struggles for social justice.  Calls to decolonize the narratives and practices of humanitarian relief and development demands a nuanced and accountable conversation about the perils and possibilities of INGOs.

This event will foster an honest conversation that engages the tensions and contradictions of the international NGO when explored in the decolonial perspective. Four panelists with deep knowledge and commitments to social justice will lead the conversation – two are experienced INGO leaders, and two are critical scholars of coloniality in international development. The conversation aims to encourage honest reflection and elicit new possibilities from both the panelists and the audience.

Joining Maxman and Sprechman Sineiro on the panel will be Angélica Bernal, associate professor of political science, and Kiran Asher, professor and chair of the Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. The event will be moderated by Joya Misra, provost professor and Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Chair in the Department of Sociology and School of Public Policy.

A casual reception will follow the 90-minute panel conversation, and interested attendees are asked to sign up on the ISSR website.

The following day, Maxman and Sprechman Sineiro will meet with students interested in working with NGOs at “Careers in International Relief and Development: Voices of Experience.” They will share their reflections on their distinguished careers, the evolving landscape of NGOs and the growing diversity of activist and professional careers from which people are working to promote social justice worldwide. They will also share their insight on the skills most needed to shape the humanitarian movements of the future. Students interested in attending this event, which will be held at noon on May 2 in the Hadley Room (10th floor) of the Campus Center, are required to register in advance on the ISSR site, and lunch will be served.

These events is co-sponsored by the UMass Amherst Institute for Social Science Research, World Studies Interdisciplinary Project, Graduate School and School of Public Policy.