HI099 History and Development

Course Description

This course looks at the origins, context and practices of development from a historical perspective. It locates the beginning of international development in colonial times and examines how ideas of economic progress and social welfare evolved from imperial settings to the UN system. The course will examine relevant episodes in the conceptualization of international development such as interwar planning and social engineering both in liberal and non-liberal contexts, and cold war modernizing missions and green revolutions. It will elaborate on rural vs urban development schemes and critically examine the role played by international organizations in promoting technical assistance and development expertise. The goal of this course is to make students familiar with a wide range of literature within the currently flourishing field of development history and make them familiar with the historical trajectory of modern development ideas.