Critical Social Thought 256 - Rethinking (Under)Development

When and how did the notion of 'development' emerge and spread? Why does nearly every country now aspire to it? What stigmas and hierarchies does the term 'underdevelopment' imply? Throughout the Spanish-Speaking world, 'development' has proved problematic not only as a material reality but also as a framework for understanding place, time, and selfhood. For that very reason, Latin American countries and Spain are ideal places from which to question commonly accepted understandings of 'development' (and associated concepts such as 'modernization' and 'progress'). In this course, students rethink 'development' through the study of a variety of writers and filmmakers from several countries.