240045 VO KG1 - International Development in Historical Context (2026S)

Since the end of World War II, the concept of "development" and the associated attempt to balance global differences in prosperity have gained enormous significance that continues to this day. This introductory lecture offers students an overview of this history by discussing important milestones, key institutions, actors, ideas and practices and reflects on the usefulness of a historical perspective on international development.
The lecture begins by exploring the question of the historical causes of global wealth disparity. It then locates the origins of international development policy in the context of colonialism, the Cold War and the collapse of the European colonial empires, while also examining the role of international and non-governmental organizations in this context.
Although changing ideas, practices and actors in the history of development up to the neoliberal turn of the 1980s are discussed, the lecture does not follow a purely chronological structure. Rather, it offers a historical introduction - also via guest lectures - to important topics such as technocratic faith or military force and their relationship to development policy. Finally, contemporary criticisms of and alternatives to dominant development concepts and practices will be examined.
The lecture will be held either in German or in English, depending on student preferences, which will be ascertained in the first session. The required reading is largely written in English.