A Personal Inquiry into the Moral and Ethical Dilemmas of the International Development Industry
This course is a deeply personal journey into the ethical and moral dilemmas of working in international development, as seen through nearly three decades of experience in Pakistan. Using my widely shared blog series Why I Left Development as a foundation, we’ll explore the contradictions, questions, and discomforts that arise when good intentions collide with global systems of power.
But this isn’t just my story—it’s an invitation for you to reflect on your own. Whether you’re a practitioner, a social entrepreneur, an artist, or a funder, if you’ve ever wrestled with the question “Am I part of the problem?” this space is for you.
Through writing, conversation, and community, we will map our inner and outer journeys—interrogating where we began, the compromises we’ve made, and how we might begin again, with greater honesty and alignment, or maybe opt out completely.
This is not a course about answers. It’s about pausing, witnessing, and reimagining what meaningful work can look like in a world unraveling.
Themrise Khan is an independent development professional and researcher with almost 30 years of practitioner and policy-based experience in international development, aid effectiveness, gender, and global migration. She has worked with a vast spectrum of multilateral and bilateral organizations, INGOs and civil society organizations primarily in Pakistan, Canada and globally. She has a number of publications and articles on aid, humanitarianism and development to her credit. She is co-editor of the book; White Saviorism in International Development. Theories, Practices and Lived Experiences (Daraja Press, Canada, 2023). Her on-going research is focussed on envisioning an alternative ecosystem in global development and humanitarianism which focuses on the Global South. She blogs, speaks and writes actively on notions of national autonomy, North-South power imbalances in development and humanitarianism, race relations and immigrant citizenship and integration and migrant and refugee rights. She is based in Ottawa, Canada
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It is hoped that participants will come away with a story of their own journeys, the way I wrote, and am still writing mine. The purpose is not to come away with a concrete path of how to move forward in todays twisted spaces, but a recognition of how much we can do, where and how. It is the beginning of a renewed journey.
By the end of this course, participants will:
Reflect deeply on their own professional and personal journey
Name and explore the moral dilemmas they’ve faced in their work
Engage critically with the systems they operate within
Create a personal narrative (in writing, art, or video) that honors the complexity of their path
Reconnect with an inner compass for doing meaningful, aligned work
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This course is for practitioners primarily from the international development space, but is also for those who intersect with this space, e.g social entrepreneurs, investors, writers, artists etc.
This course is not limited to one geographical region or space. It is open to people of all origins, positionality, genders and races at both the giving and receiving end of international development.
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Participants will be asked to document their journey in any way they wish, either as an essay, a video submission, or even as art.
They will be asked to trace the path they began on, the moral and ethical dilemmas they faced along the way and where they see those dilemmas taking them in the future.
Participants will create a personal narrative artifact that traces:
The origins of their journey
The systems and values they inherited
The moments of disillusionment or awakening
The dilemmas they carry today
And the vision they hold for what comes next
This could take the form of:
A personal essay or memoir excerpt
A visual art piece or zine
A short film or video diary
A podcast episode or audio reflection
A spoken word piece or creative writing
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8 Weeks
Class is limited to 25 students. Sign up to be notified when registration opens.