Knowledge – Debating Development Research

22/04/2025

Feeling the Colonial: Affective Decolonisation in Development Studies Classrooms

By Carla Maria Friederike Diem / part of our “Share your Decolonising Story” project

“I hope for a world where International Development Studies cease to exist.” was the first line of my motivation letter to the University of Amsterdam (UvA). A provocation, yes – but also a belief. A way to signal that I saw the contradictions at the heart of the discipline – that a field born out of colonial legacies, and sustained by the hierarchies it claims to dismantle, cannot be reformed without eventually ceasing to exist. I thought this was an idealistic position. What I did not realise was just how intimately I would come to feel the weight of those contradictions – in my emotions, in my learning, and in my hope.

14/03/2025

Building Inclusive Partnerships: Key Strategies for Successful Funding Applications

By Roseanna Avento, Kelly Brito and Susanne von Itter

In the realm of research and development, fostering inclusive global academic partnerships is crucial for addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) considerations. These partnerships not only enhance the quality and relevance of research but also ensure that diverse perspectives and expertise are integrated into collaborations. Inclusive partnerships help bridge gaps between different regions, disciplines, and communities, promoting a decolonial and more equitable approach to engagement between the Global South and Global North.

25/02/2025

Thinking Beyond the Colonial Ecosystem

By Touseef Mir / part of our “Share your Decolonising Story” project

The concept of development has been significant in shaping the current texture of the world and society around us. Not only was development an important tool of the European colonial enterprise, but the notion of development also resonates with similar power hierarchies. However, there is increasing realisation, especially within academia, about not only the colonial beginnings of development but its continued and significant (neo)colonial hues, be it in theory, policy or praxis of development.

18/02/202518/02/2025

The Role of Critical Poetic Inquiry in Decolonising ‘Development’

By Nita Mishra

For Development Studies (DS) to truly decolonise itself, it must include the voices that do not find their way to its dominant narrative. To locate these hidden voices, and amplify them, DS scholars must embrace newer ways of doing research. Newer ways of doing research means adopting newer tools or methods of doing research with the aim to identify sources of forgotten or hitherto ignored knowledge. Whose voice is heard and whose knowledge counts, in essence, is therefore a call to facilitate a more inclusive process of knowledge creation. For instance, while discussions on intellectual decolonization underly all four schools of DS, it still begets the question ‘what research methods are best suited to advance the ‘de-colonial’ imagination of ‘Development’ especially when knowledge-production is still influenced by privileges of race?

11/02/202511/02/2025

Learning and Unlearning: Sowing the Seeds of a Decolonising Mindset

By Peter Taylor / part of our “Share your Decolonising Story” project

Beginnings

I grew up in an industrial town in the North of the United Kingdom, and as a child my experience of agriculture was visiting the countryside, rather than working on farms. Along the way, I became very interested in farming and food production, and my first job was working on a dairy farm. I went on to study agricultural science at University. After that, I continued working for several years in different areas of agriculture and horticulture, enjoying the practical side of things, even when spending much of my time in wet, windy and cold conditions.