Convenor
Mallika Shakya
South Asian University, Delhi
Co-covenor
John Clammer
United Nations University, Tokyo
Abstract
Development served as a guiding principle in making of a new global order at the end of the colonial era half a century ago. The idea of development came under the hegemony of neoliberal economics just as the cold war ended allowing for a multi-polar global order, as seen in solipsistic terms such as “poverty,” “growth,” and “competitiveness” hijacking a universal desire for improved human civilization.
This panel questions the neoliberal assumption that development is merely about material gain, to be achieved only through competition drawing on profit motive, which in turn is deemed to be the primary signifier of human psychology. We invite contributors to critically engage with the ongoing theoretical debates on economic development while bringing in varied experiences from around Asia and the rest of the world. In problematizing economic development, this panel will explore the boundaries and overlaps between economic anthropology and sociology, economic history, and comparative politics.
The neoliberal premise of economic development theory, at times imposed on the Global South by the aid agencies from the North, is lopsided. We call for a ‘re-politicization’ of the field of development along the lines of what James Ferguson wrote in 1990. We further call for a ‘de-canonization’ of development theory, which may make way for meaningful engagement with varied philosophies and experiences from various parts of the world. Contributors are encouraged to comment on the changing discourses and practices seen within the global and local organizations mandated with the project of economic development.