Sumários
Unlimited growth? Sustainable development: History, critique, alternatives
4 Dezembro 2025, 13:00 • Thomas Gerhard Erich Muhr
Against the backdrop of the theoretical discussions of the previous weeks, an historical approach to the idea of ‘sustainable development’ reveals its various (contradictory) conceptualisations over time since the 1960s. We explored how the discourse and notion of sustainability has (been) changed over these decades, in relation to the changing predominance of distinct development theories. Alternative concepts to sustainable development, including Degrowth, eco-socialism, and el Buen Vivir (the Good Living), were introduced.
Student Seminar Presentations
14 Novembro 2025, 14:30 • Luís Mah
Seminars run by the students to discuss the papers on Post-Development.
Student Seminar Presentations
14 Novembro 2025, 11:00 • Luís Mah
Seminars run by the students to discuss the papers on Post-Development.
What’s Wrong with Development? Post- Colonialism, Post- Development, and the Decolonisation of Development
13 Novembro 2025, 13:00 • Thomas Gerhard Erich Muhr
Post-development emerged as a critique of the idea of development in the postcolonial context and rose to prominence in the 1980s/1990s within the context of the ‘cultural turn’ in the social sciences more generally. Rather than looking for alternative development, post-development looks for alternatives to development, rejecting the entire modernist idea of development. Embedded in a discussion of post-structuralism, post-colonialism and post-development, this session familiarised students with the recent shift from post-colonialism to decolonisation of global development. Structured around the differentiation of (de)colonisation and (de)coloniality, the session explored the potential of the decolonial school of thought to bridge the divisions between the materialist and cultural paradigms towards understanding and acting upon the world.
What’s Wrong with Development? Post-Colonialism, Post-Development, and the Decolonisation of Development
13 Novembro 2025, 09:30 • Luís Mah
Discussion and reflection on post-colonialism, post-development and decolonisation of development