Honors Theses

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Completion

4-2024

Academic Year

2023-2024

Department

English

Academic Major

English

Second Academic Major

Accounting

Faculty Advisor

Jonathan Singleton Ph.D.

Abstract

Jacques Derrida’s theory of deconstruction has been historically underappreciated in development. Yet Derrida’s critical theory realizes development as an inherently deconstructive field, one which advocates for the Other when disciplines such as economics and international relations overlook them. By examining the history of development through a Derridean lens, we can see how deconstruction was working within some of the development discourse’s prominent shifts leading up to its “impasse” in the 1980s. Heightened critical attention around this time catalyzed a flurry of deconstructive processes in the following years which have reshaped the landscape of development scholarship and practice. The story of the “impasse” itself will serve as a hinge for the essay. After a deconstructive examination of development before and then during the impasse, the essay will consider the deconstructive dynamics that are driving and enlivening five of the (partially) distinguishable post-impasse movements in development. While none of these are perfect or completed, they are structural manifestations of the deconstruction at play in development, and they are moving the field into a closer relationship with its impossible yet necessary goal: to pursue justice for the marginalized. The last of these movements to be analyzed, the “theological turn” in development, undergirds the rest and provides the clearest picture of how deconstruction can help us think constructively about development’s future.

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