Panel 13: Knowledge and Development in Late Colonialism

The concept of development has influenced the perception – and conception – of political, economic and social processes in 20th and 21st century Africa and has, in powerful ways, defined the continent’s position in international relations. Although it is commonly perceived as a postcolonial phenomenon, the idea and ideology of development were part of imperial as well as anticolonial policies during the late colonial period.

This panel explores how colonial development discourse was related to systems of knowledge and beliefs. We will be looking at the period between the end of World War I and decolonization (1918-ca. 1960). Being a site of struggles for power, emancipation and control, development discourse has been nourished by and has produced different kinds and techniques of knowledge. What were the rules that governed the formation of a certain “development knowledge”? Who were the subjects of this discourse? Which fields of knowledge, which institutions and social groups were involved, which were excluded? We are particularly interested in the question as to how science and research interacted with development as a set of political, economic and social practices. Yet panelists may also discuss other relevant areas and techniques of knowledge production.