January 2014
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1,317 Reads
Politische Vierteljahresschrift
Post-Development (PD) approaches point at and fundamentally question relations of power in theory and practice of "development". The ambiguity of the development concept is mirrored in PD's critique, which links it with a dominant ideology as well as with a failed political project. The sweeping critique of the first wave of PD paved the way for more nuanced works of discourse analysis and postcolonial studies. PD's central argument that "development" is a Eurocentric discourse imbued with power is widely accepted today. Development theory should avoid the concept of development, reflect its discursive and institutional structures, and recognize and practice alternatives.