Freedom is the preeminent objective of development,” argues Nobel-laureate Amartya Sen — against stances that are centered on economic wellbeing. Since its origins in the 1940s, the field of development studies has fiercely debated what the concept and its practice should mean, in voices that gradually came to include those from the global South, the primary recipient of development aid. At the heart of this debate are questions about how we understand Modernity — whence the aspirations and expectations that inform ideas of progress, equity, governance, and identity. These are entwined with the legacy of colonialism and postcolonial hegemony, economic and ideological. With globalization has come a growing sensitivity to difference in the midst of sameness, and a refining of the discourse on what is at stake in pursuing development, as we recognize the reality of multiple modernities.

What can we learn from the particular histories of “development” of such diverse societies as China, South Africa, and Turkey? Our interdisciplinary approach in this course will draw not only on critical literature on international development, but also on the accounts of journeys to modernity as experienced by individuals and communities in the works of Orhan Pamuk, and Zakes Mda. Students will be encouraged to undertake independent research and reflection for their final papers. Multimedia resources will supplement our texts throughout the course, both in class and on the Canvas website.