postdevelopment

Postdevelopment is a critical framework within development studies and anthropology that questions the legitimacy and universality of development as a Western-centric project. It argues that development discourse often exports a particular form of modernity, while misrepresenting or eroding local knowledge, cultures, and livelihoods.

The approach emerged in the 1980s and 1990s through scholars such as Arturo Escobar, Wolfgang Sachs, and James Ferguson, among others. In influential writings, Escobar’s Encountering Development (1995) and Sachs’s The Development Dictionary (1992) analyze development as a set of discourses, images, and policies that produce inequality, dependency, and power asymmetries rather than universal progress.

Core ideas include skepticism toward universal development models, the recognition of multiple modernities, and a focus on local agency, participatory practices, and ecological sustainability. Postdevelopment advocates argue for questioning aid-driven projects, decentralizing knowledge, and pursuing decolonization of development processes. They emphasize the value of Indigenous and local knowledge systems and seek alternative paths that prioritize social justice and autonomy.

The stance has influenced debates on aid, globalization, and governance, often aligning with critiques of major international institutions such as the World Bank and IMF. It has faced criticisms for romanticizing non-Western societies, for sometimes offering few concrete policy alternatives, and for potential determinism about Western influence. Some scholars respond by reframing the position as post-developmental critique or by integrating its insights with other critical theories.

Today, postdevelopment remains a provocative touchstone in discussions of sustainable development, Indigenous rights, and grassroots innovation, while continuing to generate debate about the meanings and futures of development.