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A new special issue of the Canadian Journal of Development Studies (46.4) offers a new perspective on understanding development and wellbeing through the concept of “feminist flourishing.” Co-edited by Professor Rebecca Tiessen and PhD student Jennifer Ayewa Donkoh from the School of International Development and Global Studies (SIDGS) at the University of Ottawa, with co-editor Emma Swan, the collection challenges traditional Western-centric approaches to measuring wellbeing.

The special issue in the Canadian Journal of Development Studies responds to limitations in current development frameworks, including those linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, by proposing a more inclusive approach that recognizes diverse knowledge systems, human agency, and the impacts of power relations and structural inequalities.

Bringing together perspectives from Indigenous and Global South knowledge systems, capabilities approaches, and feminist scholarship, the collection explores what it means to pursue a good life beyond conventional economic indicators.

Through research focusing on women and youth across different contexts, the articles highlight the importance of voice, agency, and lived experiences in shaping understandings of wellbeing.

This innovative contribution advances new ways of thinking about development by centring diverse perspectives and offering a more equitable vision of what it means to flourish.