Developing differences: post‐structuralism &amp; political economy in contemporary development studies

Mohan, Giles

doi:10.1080/03056249708704265

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Review of African Political Economy

Volume 24, Issue 73

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Developing differences: post‐structuralism & political economy in contemporary development studies

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Author(s): Giles Mohan ^a

Publication date (Print): September 1997

Journal: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

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Abstract

Difference can mean many things ‐ inequality, the non‐same or change. This article explores all these interpretations in the context of recent debates around development theory and praxis. In particular I focus on the ways in which post‐structuralist ideas have challenged those of various marxisms and how political activism may change as a result. I have taken ten books published in the last two years and drawn out themes which run through them. In many, the concept of development as discourse is opened up and various discourses are, to use the contemporary parlance, deconstructed to reveal the power relations underlying them. In doing this we see development as Eurocentric, patriarchal and disciplining. This also brings our analytical focus onto human agency and the construction and deployment of identities which has the potential to move us well away from materialist accounts of political action. The post‐colonial literature is examined briefly as it focuses on such complex issues of identity. After destabilising this knowledge‐action axis I look at how the various authors conceive of future change. For some the answer lies in civil society where these identities and resistances form the basis for ‘post‐developmental’ change. Others see a need to engage with the existing institutions, especially the state and the international lenders, and work both within and against them. I conclude with some problematics for future research and practice which centre on the need to re‐engage with political‐economy, re‐conceptualise class as an analytical and political category and place clear pressures upon the major institutions of neo‐imperialism.

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Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20

Journal ID (archive): CREA

Title: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

ISSN (Print): 0305-6244

ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720

Publication date (Print): September 1997

Volume: 24

Issue: 73

Pages: 311-328

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^a Department of Geography , University of Portsmouth , UK

Article

Publisher ID: 8704265 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 24, No. 73, September 1997, pp. 311-328

DOI: 10.1080/03056249708704265

SO-VID: 5eaca1c5-cc40-4613-a629-82a913ae3b7a

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

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Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 48, Pages: 18

Bibliographic note

Agnew John and Corbridge Stuart. . 1995. . Mastering Space: hegemony, territory and international political economy . , London : : Routledge. .
Barratt Brown Michael. . 1994. . ‘Review of Towards a New Bretton Woods: Alternatives for a Global Economy by Stuart Holland’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 62:: 625––637. .
Beckman Bjorn. . 1993. . ‘The Liberation of Civil Society: Neo‐liberal Ideology and Political Theory’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 58:: 20––33. .
Bienefeld Manfred. . 1994. . ‘The New World Order: echoes of a new imperialism’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 15((1)): 31––48. .
Chabal Patrick. . 1992. . Power in Africa . , London : : MacMillan. .
Chachage Chachage Seithy. . 1994. . “‘Discourses on Development Among African Philosophers’. ”. In African Perspectives on Development: controversies, dilemmas and openings . , Edited by: Himmelstrand Ulf, Kinyanjui Kabiru and Mburugu Edward. . p. 51––60. . London : : James Currey. .
Clifford James. . 1988. . The Predicament of Culture . , Cambridge : : Harvard University Press. .
Coole Diana. . 1996. . ‘Is class a difference that makes a difference?’. . Radical Philosophy . , Vol. 77:: 17––25. .
Epstein Barbara. . 1996. . “‘Radical Democracy and Cultural Politics: What about Class? What about Political Power’. ”. In Radical Democracy: Identity, Citizenship, and the state . , Edited by: Trend David. . p. 127––139. . London : : Routledge. .
Escobar Arturo. . 1992a. . ‘Imagining a post‐development era? critical thought, development and social movements’. . Social Text . , Vol. 31/32:: 20––54. .
Sachs Wolfgang. , ed. 1992b. . “‘Planning’. ”. In The Development Dictionary: a Guide to Knowledge as Power . , p. 112––145. . London : : Zed Books. .
1992c. . ‘Reflections on ‘Development’: Grassroots Approaches and Alternative Politics in the Third World’. . Futures . , Vol. 24((5)): 411––436. .
Fuentes Marta and Frank Andre Gunder. . 1989. . ‘Ten Theses on Social Movements’. . World Development . , Vol. 17((2)): 179––191. .
Foucault Michel. . 1972. . The Archaeology of Knowledge . , London : : Tavistock. .
1979. . ‘Govern‐mentality’. . Ideology and Consciousness . , Vol. 6:: 5––22. .
Gills Barry and Rocamora Joel. . 1992. . ‘Low Intensity Democracy’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 13((3)): 501––523. .
Graham Julie. . 1988. . ‘Post‐Modernisms and Marxism’. . Antipode . , Vol. 20((1)): 60––66. .
Harvey David. . 1989. . The Condition of Post‐modernity . , Oxford : : Blackwell. .
Hennessy Rosemary. . 1996. . “‘Queer Theory, Left Politics’. ”. In Marxism Beyond Marxism . , Edited by: Makdisi Saree, Casarino Cesare and Karl Rebecca. . p. 214––242. . London : : Routledge. .
Jameson Frederic. . 1991. . Postmodernism; or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism . , London : : Verso. .
Jessop Bob. . 1990. . State Theory: putting capitalist states in their place . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .
Jordan Tim. . 1995. . ‘The unity of social movements’. . The Sociological Review . , Vol. 43((4)): 675––692. .
Kay Cristobal. . 1993. . For a renewal of development studies: Latin American theories & neoliberalism in the era of structural adjustment’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 14((4)): 691––702. .
Laclau Ernesto and Mouffe Chantal. . 1984. . Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics . , London : : Verso. .
Lee Raymond. . 1994. . ‘Modernization, Postmodernism and the Third World’. . Current Sociology . , Vol. 42((2)): 1––63. .
Leftwich Adrian. . 1996. . “‘On the Primacy of Politics in Development’. ”. In Democracy and Development . , Edited by: Leftwich Adrian. . p. 3––24. . Cambridge : : Polity. .
Leys Colin. . 1994. . ‘Confronting the African Tragedy’. . New Left Review . , Vol. 204:: 33––47. .
Meiksins Wood Ellen. . 1995. . Democracy Against Capitalism . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .
Mohan Giles. . 1994. . ‘Manufacturing Consensus: (Geo)political Knowledge & Policy‐based Lending’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 62:: 525––538. .
Munck Ronaldo. . 1993. . “‘Political Programmes and Development: The Transformative Potential of Social Democracy’. ”. In Beyond the Impasse: new directions in development theory . , Edited by: Schuurman Frans. . p. 113––122. . London : : Zed Books. .
Oxfam. . 1995. . A Case For Reform: Fifty Years of the IMF and World Bank . , Oxford : : Oxfam. .
Phillips Anne. . 1977. . ‘The Concept of ‘Development'’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 8:: 7––20. .
Rabinow Paul. . 1991. . “‘Introduction’. ”. In The Foucault Reader . , Edited by: Rabinow Paul. . p. 3––29. . London : : Penguin. .
Rapley John. . 1994. . ‘New Directions in the Political Economy of Development’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 62:: 495––510. .
Sachs Wolfgang. , ed. 1992. . The Development Dictionary: a Guide to Knowledge as Power . , London : : Zed Books. .
Said Edward. . 1978. . Orientalism . , New York : : Pantheon. .
1994. . Representations of the Intellectual: the 1993 Reith Lectures . , London : : Vintage. .
Schuurman Frans. . 1993. . “‘Introduction: Development Theory in the 1990s’. ”. In Beyond the Impasse: new directions in development theory . , Edited by: Schuurman Frans. . p. 1––48. . London : : Zed Books. .
Sklar Richard. . 1987. . ‘Developmental Democracy’. . Comparative Studies in Society and History . , Vol. 29((4)): 686––714. .
Spivak Gayarti Chakravorty. . 1996. . “‘A Dialogue on Democracy’. ”. In Radical Democracy: Identity, Citizen‐ship, and the state . , Edited by: Plotke David and Trend David. . p. 209––222. . London : : Routledge. .
Takaki Ronald. . 1995. . “‘Culture wars in the United States: closing reflections on the century of the colour line’. ”. In The Decolonization of the Imagina‐tion: culture, knowledge and power . , Edited by: Pieterse Jan and Parekh Bhikhu. . p. 166––176. . London : : Zed Books. .
Thompson John. . 1984. . Studies in the Theory of Ideology . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .
Toye John. . 1987. . Dilemmas of Development: Reflections on the counter‐revolution in development economics . , Oxford : : Blackwell. .
USAID. . 1996. . Making a Difference in Africa . , Washington DC : : USAID. .
Wamba‐dia‐Wamba Ernest. . 1994. . “‘Africa in Search of a New Mode of Politicds’. ”. In African Perspectives on Development: controversies, dilemmas and openings . , Edited by: Himmelstrand Ulf, Kinyanjui Kabiru and Mburugu Edward. . p. 249––261. . London : : James Currey. .
West Cornel. . 1992. . “The Postmodern Crisis of the Black Intellectuals’. ”. In Cultural Studies . , Edited by: Grossberg Larry, Nelson Cary and Treichler Paul. . p. 689––705. . London : : Routledge. .
1993. . Keeping Faith: Philosophy and Race in America . , New York : : Routledge. .
Zaretsky Eli. . 1996. . “‘Identity and Democracy: a Critical Perspective’. ”. In Radical Democracy: Identity, Citizenship, and the State . , Edited by: Trend David. . p. 140––145. . London : : Routledge. .

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Agnew John and Corbridge Stuart. . 1995. . Mastering Space: hegemony, territory and international political economy . , London : : Routledge. .

[2] Barratt Brown Michael. . 1994. . ‘Review of Towards a New Bretton Woods: Alternatives for a Global Economy by Stuart Holland’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 62:: 625––637. .

[3] Beckman Bjorn. . 1993. . ‘The Liberation of Civil Society: Neo‐liberal Ideology and Political Theory’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 58:: 20––33. .

[4] Bienefeld Manfred. . 1994. . ‘The New World Order: echoes of a new imperialism’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 15((1)): 31––48. .

[5] Chabal Patrick. . 1992. . Power in Africa . , London : : MacMillan. .

[6] Chachage Chachage Seithy. . 1994. . “‘Discourses on Development Among African Philosophers’. ”. In African Perspectives on Development: controversies, dilemmas and openings . , Edited by: Himmelstrand Ulf, Kinyanjui Kabiru and Mburugu Edward. . p. 51––60. . London : : James Currey. .

[7] Clifford James. . 1988. . The Predicament of Culture . , Cambridge : : Harvard University Press. .

[8] Coole Diana. . 1996. . ‘Is class a difference that makes a difference?’. . Radical Philosophy . , Vol. 77:: 17––25. .

[9] Epstein Barbara. . 1996. . “‘Radical Democracy and Cultural Politics: What about Class? What about Political Power’. ”. In Radical Democracy: Identity, Citizenship, and the state . , Edited by: Trend David. . p. 127––139. . London : : Routledge. .

[10] Escobar Arturo. . 1992a. . ‘Imagining a post‐development era? critical thought, development and social movements’. . Social Text . , Vol. 31/32:: 20––54. .

[11] Sachs Wolfgang. , ed. 1992b. . “‘Planning’. ”. In The Development Dictionary: a Guide to Knowledge as Power . , p. 112––145. . London : : Zed Books. .

[12] 1992c. . ‘Reflections on ‘Development’: Grassroots Approaches and Alternative Politics in the Third World’. . Futures . , Vol. 24((5)): 411––436. .

[13] Fuentes Marta and Frank Andre Gunder. . 1989. . ‘Ten Theses on Social Movements’. . World Development . , Vol. 17((2)): 179––191. .

[14] Foucault Michel. . 1972. . The Archaeology of Knowledge . , London : : Tavistock. .

[15] 1979. . ‘Govern‐mentality’. . Ideology and Consciousness . , Vol. 6:: 5––22. .

[16] Gills Barry and Rocamora Joel. . 1992. . ‘Low Intensity Democracy’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 13((3)): 501––523. .

[17] Graham Julie. . 1988. . ‘Post‐Modernisms and Marxism’. . Antipode . , Vol. 20((1)): 60––66. .

[18] Harvey David. . 1989. . The Condition of Post‐modernity . , Oxford : : Blackwell. .

[19] Hennessy Rosemary. . 1996. . “‘Queer Theory, Left Politics’. ”. In Marxism Beyond Marxism . , Edited by: Makdisi Saree, Casarino Cesare and Karl Rebecca. . p. 214––242. . London : : Routledge. .

[20] Jameson Frederic. . 1991. . Postmodernism; or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism . , London : : Verso. .

[21] Jessop Bob. . 1990. . State Theory: putting capitalist states in their place . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .

[22] Jordan Tim. . 1995. . ‘The unity of social movements’. . The Sociological Review . , Vol. 43((4)): 675––692. .

[23] Kay Cristobal. . 1993. . For a renewal of development studies: Latin American theories & neoliberalism in the era of structural adjustment’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 14((4)): 691––702. .

[24] Laclau Ernesto and Mouffe Chantal. . 1984. . Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics . , London : : Verso. .

[25] Lee Raymond. . 1994. . ‘Modernization, Postmodernism and the Third World’. . Current Sociology . , Vol. 42((2)): 1––63. .

[26] Leftwich Adrian. . 1996. . “‘On the Primacy of Politics in Development’. ”. In Democracy and Development . , Edited by: Leftwich Adrian. . p. 3––24. . Cambridge : : Polity. .

[27] Leys Colin. . 1994. . ‘Confronting the African Tragedy’. . New Left Review . , Vol. 204:: 33––47. .

[28] Meiksins Wood Ellen. . 1995. . Democracy Against Capitalism . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .

[29] Mohan Giles. . 1994. . ‘Manufacturing Consensus: (Geo)political Knowledge & Policy‐based Lending’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 62:: 525––538. .

[30] Munck Ronaldo. . 1993. . “‘Political Programmes and Development: The Transformative Potential of Social Democracy’. ”. In Beyond the Impasse: new directions in development theory . , Edited by: Schuurman Frans. . p. 113––122. . London : : Zed Books. .

[31] Oxfam. . 1995. . A Case For Reform: Fifty Years of the IMF and World Bank . , Oxford : : Oxfam. .

[32] Phillips Anne. . 1977. . ‘The Concept of ‘Development'’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 8:: 7––20. .

[33] Rabinow Paul. . 1991. . “‘Introduction’. ”. In The Foucault Reader . , Edited by: Rabinow Paul. . p. 3––29. . London : : Penguin. .

[34] Rapley John. . 1994. . ‘New Directions in the Political Economy of Development’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 62:: 495––510. .

[35] Sachs Wolfgang. , ed. 1992. . The Development Dictionary: a Guide to Knowledge as Power . , London : : Zed Books. .

[36] Said Edward. . 1978. . Orientalism . , New York : : Pantheon. .

[37] 1994. . Representations of the Intellectual: the 1993 Reith Lectures . , London : : Vintage. .

[38] Schuurman Frans. . 1993. . “‘Introduction: Development Theory in the 1990s’. ”. In Beyond the Impasse: new directions in development theory . , Edited by: Schuurman Frans. . p. 1––48. . London : : Zed Books. .

[39] Sklar Richard. . 1987. . ‘Developmental Democracy’. . Comparative Studies in Society and History . , Vol. 29((4)): 686––714. .

[40] Spivak Gayarti Chakravorty. . 1996. . “‘A Dialogue on Democracy’. ”. In Radical Democracy: Identity, Citizen‐ship, and the state . , Edited by: Plotke David and Trend David. . p. 209––222. . London : : Routledge. .

[41] Takaki Ronald. . 1995. . “‘Culture wars in the United States: closing reflections on the century of the colour line’. ”. In The Decolonization of the Imagina‐tion: culture, knowledge and power . , Edited by: Pieterse Jan and Parekh Bhikhu. . p. 166––176. . London : : Zed Books. .

[42] Thompson John. . 1984. . Studies in the Theory of Ideology . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .

[43] Toye John. . 1987. . Dilemmas of Development: Reflections on the counter‐revolution in development economics . , Oxford : : Blackwell. .

[44] USAID. . 1996. . Making a Difference in Africa . , Washington DC : : USAID. .

[45] Wamba‐dia‐Wamba Ernest. . 1994. . “‘Africa in Search of a New Mode of Politicds’. ”. In African Perspectives on Development: controversies, dilemmas and openings . , Edited by: Himmelstrand Ulf, Kinyanjui Kabiru and Mburugu Edward. . p. 249––261. . London : : James Currey. .

[46] West Cornel. . 1992. . “The Postmodern Crisis of the Black Intellectuals’. ”. In Cultural Studies . , Edited by: Grossberg Larry, Nelson Cary and Treichler Paul. . p. 689––705. . London : : Routledge. .

[47] 1993. . Keeping Faith: Philosophy and Race in America . , New York : : Routledge. .

[48] Zaretsky Eli. . 1996. . “‘Identity and Democracy: a Critical Perspective’. ”. In Radical Democracy: Identity, Citizenship, and the State . , Edited by: Trend David. . p. 140––145. . London : : Routledge. .