Description
My research is inspired by two seemingly contradictory developments: On the one hand, we can increasingly observe the felt and factual experiences of persisting poverty, ever- increasing levels of exploitation, inequality, environmental degradation and the growing impact of climate change. On the other hand, there seems to be a proliferation and intensification of the same, decades- old Development paradigm based on variations of Western- style, elitist modernization approaches which, as post- development theory argues, substantially contribute to or even create the above mentioned issues in the first place. In order to make sense of this paradox and dangerous dynamic, I develop an onto- political version of constructive post- development as 'the ontological politics of (in-)equality'. In this new understanding of post- development, I propose that the ontological politics of the hegemonic Development paradigm is characterized by the presupposition of inequality in order to advance a dualist, universalist worldview and way of life that marginalizes everyone and everything that exceeds its ontological limits. Opposed to this, I conceptualize the ontological politics of 'post- developmental alternatives to Development' as characterized by the presupposition of equality in order to maintain, defend and/or expand non- dualist, relational life worlds.| Period | 15 Sept 2017 |
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| Held at | Centre for Social Sciences and Humanities (CSH), India |
| Degree of Recognition | International |