Post-Development Theory: a view from Africa (Prof. Sally Matthews)

In the fourth lecture in the joint course “Global Challenges to Development”, Prof. Sally Matthews talked about “Post-Development Theory: a view from Africa”. She presented the main arguments of the post-development theory and the criticism to this theory, giving examples from the African continent. Sally Matthews works in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes University where she is an Associate Professor and the current Head of Department. In this role, she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students and supervise MA and PhD students. Her areas of teaching interest are principally in African Studies, African Politics and African Political Economy. Her main areas of current research interest are development studies (specifically post-development theory and the role of NGOs), African Studies (specifically questions around the decolonisation of the African Studies curriculum), race and identity, and the transformation of Higher Education.
The joint course “Global Challenges to Development” discusses theoretical concepts and approaches to development in order to understand current global challenges brought about by globalization processes in different parts of the world. Presenting different (and sometimes antagonist) views on development, the course offers students an overview of the debate, presenting the different challenges faced by “developed” and “developing countries”, and the existing alternatives to development in theory and practice. The course alternates theoretical debates based on guest lecturers’ presentations and students’ projects related to sustainability, education, creative industries, geopolitical instabilities, and health.
This course is attended by more than 20 students from seven different countries: Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, and Spain. It is organized by Glaucia Peres da Silva, Global Awareness Education/TRACS, University of Tübingen (Germany) in partnership with Prof. Maurício Reinert do Nascimento and Pro. Sara Picheth, State University of Maringá (Brazil) and Prof. Ronney Ncwadi, Nelson Mandela University (South Africa), and also offered in the CIVIS micro-programme Global Awareness.
videoschnitt: Christoph Regli