The Postcolonial Politics of Development

by Ilan Kapoor

This book uses a postcolonial lens to question development’s dominant cultural representations and institutional practices, investigating the possibilities for a transformatory postcolonial politics. Ilan Kapoor examines recent development policy initiatives in such areas as ‘governance,’ ‘human rights’ and ‘participation’ to better understand and contest the production of knowledge in development - its cultural assumptions, power implications, and hegemonic politics. The volume shows how development practitioners and westernized elites/intellectuals are often complicit in this neo-colonial knowledge production. Noble gestures such as giving foreign aid or promoting participation and democracy frequently mask their institutional biases and economic and geopolitical interests, while silencing the subaltern (marginalized groups), on whose behalf they purportedly work. In response, the book argues for a radical ethical and political self-reflexivity that is vigilant to our reproduction of neo-colonialisms and amenable to public contestation of development priorities. It also underlines subaltern political strategies that can (and do) lead to greater democratic dialogue.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ilan Kapoor succinctly discusses the issues with today's foreign aid system in his seminal work The Postcolonial Politics of Development. Arguing that aid is not always as it seems, as a selfless gift to those countries in need, Kapoor explores how foreign aid can actually be hurtful to its recipients while being beneficial to those who offer it.

One of the most compelling chapters, Aid as G(r)ft, discusses this very topic. In essence, Kapoor explains, foreign aid is presented to the public as a selfless gift to those who are in need (developing countries). However, in reality, this foreign aid is actually employed to serve the needs of the benefactor, whether they relate to security or commercial interests. For example, one of the reasons many countries are engaged in Afghanistan is not necessarily to help its citizens 'develop', but to serve the purposes of the Western security agenda by monitoring a region in which Al Qaeda is present.

This book is an extremely important read for any student or practitioner of international development. Understanding the critiques of aid is essential in making changes to the way it is allocated, and in ensuring it is being contributed to the most important sectors.

[Nadia Alblooshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think that international foreign aid are always "gifts" to the poor countries, then you definitely need to correct/update your understanding by reading this book!