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The Future of Development Studies – Further Discussions Needed

By Anisa Muzaffar and Sana Kainat Moyeen

The recent workshop “Unity in Diversity? Reflecting on the Future of Development Studies provided a fascinating platform for debates that brought to life the four broad schools of thought underpinning contemporary Development Studies. The four broad schools of thought referenced here are drawn from a paper by Andy Sumner in the European Journal of Development Research, with the diagram  below visualising these respective schools. It was compelling to see how the discussions evolved within these four broad schools, revealing a rich tapestry of perspectives. Despite the diversity of opinions, the conversations underscored the critical importance of these debates in shaping the future of Development Studies discourse.

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The Future of Development Studies: Unity in Diversity?

By Caroline Cornier

The idea of progress falls under what anthropologist Anna Tsing designates as ‘unity’, a ‘unified coordination of time’, a singular beat. The recent workshop “Unity in Diversity – The Future of Development Studies” raised questions whether the discipline should move on to study the world’s consonant ‘global challenges’ or rather continue focusing on the specific rhythms and trajectories of ‘late developers’.

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The Crisis of Development and Development Studies and Possibilities for Transformation

By Sebeka Richard Plaatjie

Development requires human persons to exist. On this basis it is reasonable to suggest that human life or the preservation thereof, is the foremost condition for development to declare and to recognize itself. Basic physiological needs for the survival of human beings such as food, water, clothing, and health care as suggested by Maslow must therefore be met. Beyond preservation of human life, which is also recognized by the United Nations, development merely functions an ideology, as proven aptly by standpoint theory. Standpoint theory postulates that human beings speak, read, and make sense of the world from the geo-political and body-political location of the subject who speaks.

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Rethinking Development Studies

By Kees Biekart, Laura Camfield, Uma Kothari, Henning Melber

Our world is in shambles. And what is widely understood as Development has been a contributing factor. While ‘fixers’ are quick to offer new recipes for Development, re-building or re-constructing societies destroyed, they often offer more of the same. This provokes the question, as to whether life on earth might have been much better off without Development.

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Reflections on Development in Development Studies

By Henning Melber

There is a history to Developmentalism long before the US-American President Truman’s interpretation in his inaugural address of 1949. He then advocated development as an integral part of Western policy embracing the emerging independent states through aid in support of sovereign governance. An embracement, which often turned out to be more of a strangulation than a provision of oxygen to breathe the winds of change as signs of freedom and self-determination to make own choices.

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