Decolonisation of International Development (SHS-ETC010)

Course description

The call to decolonize development cooperation has become a central topic of debate in recent years, resonating across academic circles and practitioner communities. At its core, the concept of decolonization addresses the longstanding imbalance of power that has characterized international development, underscoring the critical need to rebalance this asymmetry. However, the specifics of achieving this rebalancing - the "how, to what extent, and with what means" - remain complex and contested.

Simultaneously, the vision of decolonization itself is multifaceted, ranging from reformist calls to reshape the existing system, to more revolutionary demands to dismantle it entirely and start anew. Some advocate for incremental changes within the current framework, while others argue for a complete paradigm shift.   Some argue that the development enterprise can be salvaged through concerted efforts to decenter Eurocentric epistemologies, amplify marginalized voices, and redistribute power and resources more equitably. Others contend that the very foundations of development are inherently colonial and must be rejected in favor of entirely new frameworks rooted in the self-determined priorities and worldviews of the Global South. This spectrum of perspectives reflects the profound complexities and contestations that underlie the project of decolonizing development cooperation.

This course aims to empower students to appreciate these complexities and engage critically with the multifaceted nature of the decolonization agenda. It seeks to help students understand that the task of decolonizing development is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires sustained commitment, critical self-reflection, and the willingness to challenge dominant power structures and narratives. By grappling with the nuances and debates surrounding decolonization, students will be better equipped to navigate the evolving landscape of international development and contribute to the construction of more just, equitable, and inclusive models of cooperation.

The outline of the course on the decolonisation of development cooperation

A course on the decolonisation of development is made up of 4 learning units:

This course on the decolonization of development cooperation is a comprehensive exploration of the critical issues surrounding this important topic. The four learning units that make up the course provide a thorough examination of the theoretical foundations and practical implications of decolonizing development work.

The first learning unit lays the groundwork by delving into the theory of coloniality and the decolonial movement. This is essential background knowledge, as one cannot fully grasp the nuances of decolonizing development cooperation without first understanding the underlying colonial structures and power dynamics that have shaped global development paradigms. The unit also provides a thoughtful critique of the theory of coloniality, encouraging students to think critically about these complex ideas.

Building on this foundation, the second learning unit introduces the students to how the arguments for decolonization of development.   It explores the key concepts of the coloniality of being, knowledge, and power – and how these concepts are incorporated into the core arguments used by advocates of decolonizing development.

By exploring how colonial legacies have shaped understandings of personhood, epistemology, and power relations, students gain a deeper appreciation for the multifaceted nature of decolonization and the need to challenge dominant development discourses.

The third learning unit then examines the divergent visions and approaches to decolonizing development. Some call for reformist, incremental changes within the current system, while others demand a more revolutionary, deconstructive shift to entirely new paradigms.

Those who advocate for incremental, reformist changes within the current system, seeking to reshape it from within, are pursuing what is called “reconstructive approach to the decolonisation of development.”    This "reconstructive" approach is exemplified by proposals to decolonize the practices of the United Nations and other international organizations involved in development, humanitarian aid, and peacebuilding in the Global South. In contrast, the "deconstructive" approach calls for a more radical, transformative shift - a complete overhaul of the development framework and a move towards alternative, post-development models. This perspective, rooted in post-development theory, demands a fundamental rethinking and dismantling of the existing structures of power and knowledge production. 

Finally, the fourth learning unit hones in on a critical aspect of decolonizing development work: the decolonization of knowledge production.   An important aspect in the decolonization of the United Nations and other international organizations involved in development in the global south is the decolonization of how they produce knowledge that they use when designing, monitoring and evaluating development programs.   The decolonial research methodologies are an important tool for such processes.   The learning unit 4 therefore introduces students to decolonial research methodologies and how they can be applied to the design, monitoring, and evaluation of development programs. This is a crucial step in dismantling the colonial legacies embedded in the very knowledge systems employed by the UN and other international agencies operating in the Global South.

Learning objectives

Through this course, participants will:

• Become familiar with the concept of coloniality as the theoretical framework underlying the decolonization of development
• Explore the arguments for the decolonization of development
• Become familiar with the deconstructive and reconstructive approaches to the decolonization of development. 
• Learn about the use of decolonial research methodology in the knowledge production needed for the design, monitoring and evaluation of development programs.
• Describe the epistemic practices and ways in which decoloniality and decolonial thinking can improve the theory and practice of development cooperation
• Critically examine the ways in which decolonial praxis can be applied and fostered in the organizational development of UN and other international agencies working in the global south.

Summary

Table of Contents

LEARNING UNIT 1: THE THEORY BEHIND DECOLONIZATION OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: DECOLONIAL THEORY

• Introduction
• Decolonizing International Development: Broad Concept

       The Modernist Theory of Development

       Dependency Theory

       Neoliberalist globalization

       Post-Development theory

• Decolonial theory

       Decolonial Theory: Background to the Movement for Decolonial Thinking and Practice

       The concept of Coloniality:  A notion at the heart of Decolonial theory

       Decoloniality/Coloniality as a political and epistemological movement

• Three Units Of Analysis: Coloniality Of Power, Knowledge And Being

       Coloniality of power

       Coloniality of knowledge

       Coloniality of being

       How an over-emphasis on coloniality of knowledge can obscure coloniality of being

• Decoloniality:  is it a theory or a project?

       The Ten theses of decoloniality

• Some of the Decolonial Scholars

       Coloniality according to Anibal Quijano

       Coloniality according to Walter D. Mignolo

       Coloniality according to Nelson Maldonado-Torres

       Theory of decolonial movement and post-colonial movement: Differences

• Critique of Decolonial Theory

LEARNING UNIT 2:  WHY DECOLONIZE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Arguments from the Perspective of Coloniality of Knowledge

       The views of Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni

       The views of Kapoor

       Sources for decolonizing knowledge

• Argument from the Perspective of the Coloniality of Being

       The views of Sabelo Ndlovu-Gathseni

LEARNING UNIT 3: HOW TO DECOLONIZE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Deconstructive Approach to Decolonization of Development
• Post-Development Theory: Introduction
• Decolonization of development as deconstruction of development

       Key post-development thinkers

• Post-development and its argument against the very notion of development

       Development has reached its impasse

       Questioning the development aid

       Development is a political concept, and not an economic one

       Questioning the obsession with quantitative measures of human progress and human flourishing

        Sustainability: sustaining life, not Development

       Criticism of modern society as being preoccupied with the pursuit of individual self-fulfillment

       Questioning the elevation of economy to the central organizing principle of the society

       Re-valuing diversity

       Sufficiency revolution

       Territoriality: “the shadow of the tree”

       Re-linking production and consumption

       The difference between post-development and alternative development

       An example of the deconstructive approach to decolonization of development: Rutazibwa

• Reconstructive approach to decolonization of development

       What is a reconstructive approach to the decolonization of development

         Criticisms of post development and deconstructive approach to decolonizing development

       Reductionism of development

• Reconstructive approach to decolonization:  examples

       Kapoor and decolonization of development

       How to decolonize United Nations and other international agencies for aid, peace and development

       Does the South-South Cooperation give effect to the decolonization of development?

       Cost Action Decolonising  Development: Three areas of decolonisation

       Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni and the four tasks in the decolonization of development

       Langdon, J:  The use of critical pedagogy to decolonize development studies

       Did the new international economic order represent decolonization of development?

       Decolonization of humanitarian aid

• The practice and theory of decolonization of international development:  gaps and limitations

       Decolonising as a buzzword

       Class matters

       Failure to ensure epistemic shifts results in transformation in material inequalities

LEARNING UNIT 4:  DECOLONIZING KNOWLEDGE FOR THE DESIGN, MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

• Introduction
• Decolonial research method as a tool for decolonzing knowledge for development

       What is decolonial research methodology

• Ways in which decolonial research methods challenges the western research practices

       Shedding light on world views obscured by coloniality

       Taking sides with those impacted by coloniality

       Democratization of the research process

       Accommodation of indigenous world views

• Common themes in decolonial research methods

       Constructivism and qualitative methods

       Transformational agenda

       Ethics and Respect

       Interrogating the space in which research is undertaken

• Exercising critical reflexivity

       Participation , engagement and control

       Reciprocity and Respect for Self-Determination

       Embracing Other(ed) Ways of Knowing

• Decolonial research methods:  some of the prominent scholars

       Linda Tuhiwai Smith

       Bagele Chilesa

       Margaret Kovach

       Haunani-Kay Trask

• Collections of approaches to decolonial research

       Norman K. Denzin, Yvonna S. Lincoln, and Linda Tuhiwai Smith

       Hokowhitu and others

• Qualitative research method as critical for decolonization of knowledge
• What decolonization of qualitative research practice means

       Tuck and Yang

       Thambinathan, V., & Kinsella

• Decolonizing knowledge production in the evaluation of development programs: african paradigms

       Importance of decolonizing evaluation of development programs

       Proverb based evaluation paradigm

       Afrocentric paradigm

       Postcolonial indigenous paradigm

       African relational evaluation paradigm

       Transformative evaluation paradigm

       Culturally competent evaluation paradigm

       Limitations and gaps of using decolonial evaluation methods