Since the end of the Second World War, the concept and imperative of ‘development’ has been central to our understanding of the world geopolitically, economically and even culturally.
The history of international development is not, however, simply a one-dimensional history of the facts of how development has been ‘rolled out’. It is also a two-dimensional history of the competing understandings of what ‘development’ is and ought to be: should it be state-led, or market-driven? Should success be measured by economic or social indicators? Does it imply an objectively ethical goal, or is it merely imperialism by other means?
But there is also a third dimension: why do we find ourselves interested in the concept, and preoccupied by the imperative, of international development? As individuals, we come to the topic with a set of presumptions about our capacity to know, about our capacity to act, and about the very nature of our interest in knowing about and acting towards people in contexts far removed from our own society. This third dimension is, in a sense, the broader ‘story’ of development, in which we ourselves are key actors.
In as much as the one-dimensional facts of how development has been rolled out is subsumed within a two-dimensional history of the competing ideas of what exactly is being implemented, that history itself exists in the context of the three-dimensional story of why we take an interest in it.
The purpose of this course is not to cast a judgment – ie to assess the merits of development as either a concept or imperative. Rather, the purpose is to clarify, in three dimensions, the nature of the concept’s relationship to the world, its relationship to itself, and its relationship to we who seek to understand it. That is, to clarify the facts of how it has been implemented, the theories of what it is, and the frames of reference that inform why we care about those theories and facts.
Learning outcomes
- To develop a broad factual overview of international development practice and implement;
- To develop a comprehensive understanding of the debates surrounding the theoretical underpinnings of development practices;
- To develop a reflexive awareness of the normalised frames of reference we bring to the study, theory and practice of international development.
