Introduction
Society has evolved over the millennia and these processes have led to the modern structure of the world, in which countries differ significantly from each other. The development studies explore the causes and consequences of such diversity from the perspective of politics, culture, sociology, and economics to identify favorable and adverse factors that can be applied to the improvement of the world (Ashcroft, 2017).
However, approaches to the study of development are diverse both in terms of the area of knowledge and understanding of fundamental processes and concepts by representatives of different directions. One such example is a postcolonial theory, which views the world in terms of the influence of colonialism on the past and present of countries. The emergence and formation of this theory made a significant contribution to the development studies since it presented a new look at the conceptual idea of “development,” its manifestations in the modern world and proposed new methods for determining the ways of states’ development.
Postcolonial Theory
Postcolonial studies and postcolonial theory arose at the end of the 20th century, which is natural since the era of colonialism was ended. However, it is believed that the theory appeared from the work of a number of scholars who studied the novels of the 19th and early 20th centuries and determined the European Imperial position in the majority of texts (Zein-Elabdin, 2011). This idea evolved into a broader study of the influence of European or Western thought on the development of the world, mainly former colonial countries.
Thus, according to Omar (2012, p. 43), definition development study “focuses particularly on investigating the intimate relationship between culture and politics, highlighting the interrelations between certain cultural forms and particular political and historical practices.” At the end of the 20th and 21st centuries, this theory studies the relationship and position of countries in terms of their colonial past and its impact on current processes. This theory is based on the idea that the hegemonic influence of the West is still key in the development of culture, economics, and politics of the world, although it is destructive for most of the former colonies.
The Contribution of Postcolonial Theory to the Development Studies
Criticism of the Definition
The first and most fundamental contribution of postcolonial theory to the field of development studies is its critique of the definition of “development” in general. This contribution appeared because postcolonialists chose a different approach to the study of colonialism and its significance in the modern world and criticized the international order of things.
The central idea of the postcolonial theory is that the knowledge that defines science and social phenomena is fundamentally European or Western. This shift, according to one of the representatives of the theory, originated in the era of the Enlightenment in Europe as it justified the supremacy of Europe over other countries and continents and allowed them to conquer, kill, and destroy local traditions in the name of “enlightenment” (Omar, 2012).
In other words, the Europeans were convinced that they had a responsibility to teach and educate the local people of the lands they discovered or conquered to make them more “civilized.” Consequently, this practice led to the suppression of local traditions and ideas that were different from the Western ones and led to the dominance of the Western ideas throughout the world.
In the middle of the 20th century, this principle also formed a modern understanding of development. As noted by Mingolo (2002), the colonized areas were the goal of the civilization mission of Europe in the past and became the goal of development, modernization, and new marketplace in the modern world system. In other words, despite the change in terminology, the attitude of the West towards postcolonial countries has remained practically unchanged.
As Omar (2012) finds, the speech by American President Truman described the main aspects that were being promoted around the world in the name of development. The main one is that half of the world is underdeveloped, and the United States and other countries should help them achieve development according to the American model of open markets and technological progress (Omar, 2012). This idea was entrenched as a development concept and is still used in world politics.
Consequently, according to representatives of postcolonialism, the concept of development is a social construct formed by the Western idea. Europe has historically promoted the idea of its dominance, separating other countries as underdeveloped, “other,” or oriental, which allowed it to justify conquests. Colonial influence allowed the West to shape the discourse of development and consolidate it at the moment when the United States acquired its hegemonic power (Omar, 2012).
Consequently, postcolonialists criticize the idea of the modern global concept of development as dichotomic and Eurocentric, noting its historical one-sidedness. In addition, supporters of postcolonial theory consider the use of this concept to be the reason for the failure of most global aid programs since they impose Western paths of economic and technological development but do not consider local features.
However, it should be noted that despite criticism, postcolonialists do not define another concept of development differently from the “Western” one. Some theorists advocate the abolition of this concept, but, in fact, they only propose to focus on local development paths without specifying them. Thus, the main contribution of postcolonial theory is that criticism of the current discourse of development pushes the world to search for alternative perspectives and definitions.
Criticism of Modern Global Relations and Development Practices
The second significant contribution of postcolonial theory is the demonstration that colonial discourses are still relevant and adverse. The study of epistemology and history allowed theorists of postcolonialism to form several basic characteristics of the colonial era development and show them in modern international processes.
First, Said (2003) formulated the theory of Orientalism, in which he argued that the West formed its identity by contrasting itself as an advanced civilization and the “Orient” or “others” as barbaric and underdeveloped peoples. He noted that the West had created an unchanging image of subject races dominated by a race that knows them and their development paths better than they understand these ways themselves (Gandhi, 1988). Thus, the objectification of “others” made it possible to impose the opinion that Europeans have the right and must improve the people of “underdeveloped” societies.
This discourse has changed its terminology, and today, countries are not positioned as “backward,” “underdeveloped,” but are “developing.” However, the inferiority complex that was imposed by the empires during the colonial period has survived, forcing the former colonies to accept the position of “others” and agree to the rules of the West. For example, obtaining financial assistance, loans, or investments from the World Bank, states are required to create a system of free markets or other reforms, which, basically, facilitate Western trade.
Furthermore, as noted above, postcolonial theorists see the concept of development within the framework of the discourse formed by the West. The countries of the South are most often not allowed or have a limited role in the discussion of this direction. The countries of the South, in this context, are the states of Africa, Asia, and Latin America with a colonial past and a low level of economic development, which are opposed to the North “wealthy” countries. Consequently, some states have to constantly adjust their policies and economies to comply with the norms that have determined the countries of the West.
Such manifestations can be traced to the goals and principles of work of international and non-governmental organizations, which actually dictate the conditions for receiving aid or loans for development purposes. For example, the eighth Sustainable Development Goal focuses on “economic growth, full and productive employment” (“SDG 8”, n.d.). While this goal is generally favorable, it is built on the Western model of economic development.
Moreover, in the opinion of postcolonialists, when forming these goals, organizations most often talk about or on behalf of countries that require assistance, which presents them as dependent and usually does not reflect their actual demands. According to Spivak (1988), there is a danger that, in the process of representation, the voices of real witnesses will be ignored if the people of the North represent the people of the South. Consequently, the development ways will not consider the characteristics, needs, and desires of developing countries.
Moreover, the theory of postcolonialism argues that this approach to the formation of development goals is aimed at the West’s interests. Spivak (1988) argues that knowledge is never innocent and is directed towards the formation of an identity that is economically beneficial and convenient for Western interests. In other words, by promoting the development of other countries, the West uses the changes to its advantage. For example, a market economy and industrial development can open up markets for European goods or raw materials, and the development of technology will allow them to use cheap labor for the production of goods.
Postcolonialists call this approach neo-colonialism, which is defined as “any form of control over ex-colonies,” because they believe that the countries of the global North can use the global South for their purposes (Ashcroft et al., 2007, p. 146). At the same time, likely, some states may not be interested in a typical economic development system, but they have no choice, both due to external economic and political influence and imposed development discourse.
Therefore, this criticism makes a significant contribution to the development studies as it focuses on the role and place of states in the processes of global and local development. This criticism allows scholars to consider the strategies and projects aimed at development from a new perspective and, probably, to see the reasons for their failures. In other words, postcolonial theory focuses on the fact that the generally accepted understanding of the development of states and their goals may not be universal. Hence, scientists, organizations, and governments should pay attention and look for other ways of development than those offered by the globalizing world.
Contribution to Methodology and Approaches of Development Studies
The theory of postcolonialism and its representatives not only criticize the established concepts and methods of development but also propose new approaches for analyzing the features of states and finding ways to change them. First, the postcolonial theory argues that the complexity of postcolonial reality cannot be defined once and for all and says that colonialism is not complete and historicized (Schulz, 2017). Consequently, instead of creating political and economic frameworks and declaring their universality, postcolonial politics should be studied as temporary and constantly evolving. In other words, any characteristics cannot be fixed as they tend to change. Thus, the very concept of development cannot be defined by political, technological, or economic frameworks.
Second, postcolonial theorists argue that generalizing the countries of the South, or postcolonial countries, is a dangerous and irrational approach. For this reason, the primary method of studying the development of states should be focusing on the local characteristics of culture, economics, and politics. Globalization has shown its impossibility to implement world development programs since they equal the needs and capabilities of all countries, although globalization is highly unequal and is not necessarily an improvement for everyone (Noxolo, 2016). However, the study of local characteristics can be helpful in identifying unique development paths that will be different from Eurocentric but effective.
Third, the postcolonial theory suggests a shift in emphasis on the study and use of the cultural characteristics of states that influence their development. The cultural aspect is central to postcolonial theory as it determines the characteristics of economic and political development. This approach is also one of the solutions to the problem of the southern counties’ under-representation, which are targeted by development projects.
According to McEwan (2019), the use of cultural characteristics will enhance cooperation between states and represent the countries of the South in determining the necessary actions aimed at their development. Only the countries themselves can qualitatively define their cultural characteristics and values, while the developed North can only analyze their position and offer, but not impose, their solutions.
Fourth, since postcolonial theory and its proponents criticize the discourse of development and knowledge as a one-sided presentation of Western hegemonic ideas, they propose methods to eliminate this problem. As Mato (2000, p. 481) notes, “It is ethically, politically, and epistemologically imperative that researchers find ways to promote the conscious incorporation of social groups that are usually targeted as subjects of study into jointly conceived research agenda.”
According to Raghuram and Madge (2006), development stages should avoid the Euro-centered worldview by studying and recognizing the processes of historical and spatial inequality in some states, involving people who live in those places in dialogue, and raising their issues. Other features also include the willingness to change the hierarchy and cooperate in research. Thus, the issues will be studied from different points of view, avoiding the established paradigm of the developed and enlightened West and the backwardness of other countries.
In practice, representatives of postcolonial theory propose to use strategies that allow society to hear people marginalized by impoverishment. Such strategies include studying the biographies of activists from countries of the South, as well as analyzing fiction and poetry (McEwan, 2019). Such sources provide insights that are important for understanding the culture and development opportunities of states. For example, the biography of Nelson Mandela is one of the most famous examples of the struggle against the legacy of colonialism. However, other activists also fought for their own path of development, different from the policies of their authorities.
According to representatives of the postcolonial theory, this approach helps hear the voice of developing countries and make them participants in the selection of development paths but not a “target” of international organizations’ assistance (McEwan, 2019). In addition, another strategy is to use video to collect evidence and stories since this method will allow scientists to empower people with the least influence and move from economistic analyzes to understanding countries in all their complexity (McEwan, 2019). Thus, supporters of postcolonial theory propose new methods aimed at strengthening the voice of the South in development studies.
Consequently, one of the most significant contributions of the postcolonial theory is the provision of methods and approaches for the development studies that empower the postcolonial countries or the South counties. Theoretical ways of postcolonial theory focus on the analysis of the cultural characteristics of states and the abolition of the generalization of their needs. In practical terms, postcolonial sociologists offer methods that help the South countries represent their positions and take part in choosing their development paths instead of accepting the programs imposed on them by the North. Thus, the theory of postcolonialism changes the methods and perspectives of the development studies, reducing the influence of Eurocentrism and the one-sidedness of research.
Conclusion
Thus, postcolonial theory contributed to the development studies primarily through criticism of the existing discourse. Criticism of the approach to the definition of “development” and the accusation of the Western civilization in hegemony over scientific and social discourse forced scientists to accept the need to search for other perspectives and understandings of the goals and processes of development.
The denial of modern practices aimed at development as universal and globally effective because of their Eurocentricity pushed scholars to reassess international institutions and the place of postcolonial countries in determining development paths. At the same time, the postcolonial theory proposed several important changes in the theoretical methods of the development studies and defined practical methods for representing the voices of postcolonial countries and creating a renewed discourse. Consequently, postcolonial theory has made significant contributions to the field of development studies by revealing a different perspective on established global practices.
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