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Connor F.J. Leckey
of understanding, the overwhelming consensus amongst postcolonial
scholars is a universal critique of development studies. Accounting for
development theories inability to understand development in the context of the Global South, postcolonial theorists argue that development
professionals are ill equipped to deliver viable development strategies.
The remainder of this article will examine the epistemological divide
between postcolonialism and development, presenting the case for the
inclusion of postcolonial understanding into global development.
Postcolonial critique of development
Having presented an overview of some of the key themes concerning
postcolonial scholarship, this article will turn its attention to the main
arguments surrounding the postcolonial critique of development studies. Postcolonial critique of global development can be deconstructed
into two main areas: postcolonial critique of development discourse
and postcolonial critique of development practices. Although both are
arguably inseparable, development practices are often a result of development discourse or vice versa; this article will therefore study these
independently, due to each area’s unique points of contention.
The overriding criticism from postcolonial scholars concerning discourse associated with development studies deals with the characterisation of ‘development’ as simply spreading a ‘culturally superior’ Eurocentric understanding of enlightenment. After World War II post-war
institutions speculated on development as being universal and inevitable, naturally springing from enlightenment principles. On the other
hand, development of ‘poor’ countries was seen as something that must
be actively sought after. This paradox, that development should naturally
occur yet must be sought after in ‘poor’ countries, both emphasises the
perceived disposition in western understanding of a Eurocentric supremacy over the Global South and a privileged position of the European/
West as the centre of human progress (Biccum 2002). Thus, such a spec-