Beyond Colonialism, Development and Globalization

Development studies is in a state of flux. A new generation of scholars has come to reject what was once regarded as accepted wisdom, and increasingly regard development and globalization as part of a continuum with colonialism, premised on the same reductionist assumption that progress and growth are objective facts that can be fostered, measured, assessed and controlled. Drawing on a variety of theoretical perspectives and approaches, this book explores the ways in which social movements in the Global South are rejecting Western-centric notions of development and modernization, as well as creating their own alternatives.

By assessing development theories from the perspective of subaltern groups and movements, the contributors posit a new notion of development ‘from below’, one in which these movements provide new ways of imagining social transformation, and a way out of the ‘developmental dead end’ that has so far characterized post-development approaches. Beyond Colonialism, Development and Globalization therefore represents a radical break with the prevailing narrative of modernization, and points to a bold new direction for development studies.

Dominique Caouette is an associate professor with the Department of Political Science and director of the East Asian Studies Centre at Université de Montréal, Canada. Before joining the university, he worked for five years with Inter Pares, a global social justice organization, where he was part of the Asia Team.

Dip Kapoor is a professor of international education at the University of Alberta, Canada, and research associate at the Centre for Research and Development Solidarity (CRDS), an Adivasi-Dalit rural organization in India. His previous books include NGOization: Complicity, Contradictions and Prospects (Zed Books 2013).