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ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT, EMPOWERMENT, OR EMANCIPATION? A REFLECTION ON TERMINOLOGY BASED ON CASE STUDIES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES OF CAPE TOWN

A University research project sparked, followed, and analysed three processes of social and human development that unfolded in urban underserved communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The processes developed over three years through a flexible approach to outcomes connected with the use of information and communication technologies. A series of final questions drives the analysis of the evaluation of this multiple-case study. What were the processes about? What did the processes do? What did they bring about? What is the legacy of these projects? These questions are analysed through the explanation of the evolution of the case studies presented. The most important question about the intentions of the participants –researcher, external professionals and community membersconnects with their philosophical background and assumptions. Seldom stated, occasionally externalised in the approach to interventions, the reasons to participate in a project are the most likely determinants of its outcomes -development and/or empowerment and/or emancipationand nevertheless the less evaluated. The paper claims that the elucidation of the terminology stimulates the reflection over ideologies and motivations that drive research and activities.