About the endurance of developmentalism: The need for a conceptual turn.

Abstract

The imperative to develop has a long history of criticisms and adjustments since its genesis after World War II. In spite of this, as I argue here, we continue situating ourselves inside the imaginary of development, reproducing its classifications and power relations. In this article I would like to call for a turn in our way of understanding and using the concept of "development". I argue that to continue thinking in its terms means to continue reproducing its logic of dichotomous identities (world population categorization in developed/ underdeveloped), it means as well to continue blocking "other" modalities of being and of knowledge and to obscure different ways of understanding the problems which humanity faces. I will also reflect upon the andean concept of "Living Well" as an illustration of the possibilities of imagining beyond developmentalism.