Critical Development Theory

Denis O'Hearn and Ronaldo Munck

In the late 20th century, there has been a rethinking of the whole concept of development, including a growing awareness of its gender, cultural and environmental dimensions, and the impact of globalization.The contributors to this volume seek to extend these debates to a more fundamental level, tackling such issues as the crisis of development as an intellectual and practical project, the need for a break with development as a Eurocentric concept, and the viability of alternative, non-Western forms of development.The contributors aim to transcend critiques of development which simply engage in a blanket dismissal of the whole enterprise and instead offer ways of re-engaging with reality that, despite globalization, is still a dimension of the late-20th century.

There has been a rethinking of the concept of development, including growing awareness of its gender, cultural and environmental dimensions. This work extends these debates to a more fundamental level, tackling such issues as the crisis of development as an intellectual and practical project.

About the ContributorsPreface1. The Myth of Development: A Critique of a Eurocentric Discourse - Vincent TuckerPart I: Critical Perspectives2. On Oppositional Postmodernism - Boaventura de Sousa Santos3. Development and the Locations of Eurocentrism - Ziauddin Sardar4. Critical Holism and the Tao of Development - Jan Nederveen PietersePart II: Political Economy5. Reintegrating Production and Consumption, or Why Political Economy Still Matters - Diane Perrons6. Tigers and Transnational Corporations: Pathways from the Periphery? - Denis O'Hearn7. The Place of Development in Theories of Imperialism and Globalization - Bob SutcliffePart III: Polemical Perspectives8. Is it Possible to Build a Sustainable World? - Richard Douthwaite9. Cultural politics and (post) Development Paradigm(s) - G.H. Fagan10. Deconstructing Development Discourses: of Impasses, Alternatives and Politics - Ronaldo MunckIndex