In past decades critique of Western development interaction has been proposed from different positions (Hart 2001, Nederveen Pieterse 1998, Rist 1997). Development (studies, theory and practice) has reached an impasse (Kiely 1995). While development approaches generally have focused on growth and poverty, Postcolonial Studies explore structures of power and the (re-) production of knowledges. On first sight, Postcolonial Studies and Development Studies do not appear to have practical connections. Nevertheless, despite of existent divergences, there are several convergences that provide opportunities to connect the generally separated fields of research in order to move beyond the impasse.

What are the core questions?

The time is ripe to fundamentally rethink and reconfigure structures and conditions that implement and perpetuate inequalities and boundaries. Postcolonial perspectives offer a viable starting point for drawing up an universal global agenda for sustainable change.

What are our aims? What do we want to achieve as a group?

The activities of the Working Group aim to explore and establish spaces for postcoloniality within development studies that:

• enable the acknowledgement of multiple knowledges
• seek strategies for decolonizing development knowledge
• explore the relation of Postcolonialism and Development policy
• discuss Postcolonial Perspectives on the SDGs

The group is not limited to post- and decolonial perspectives, but welcomes collaborators working on other related theoretical approaches.