ABSTRACT
The development enterprise for the most part has been predicated on the assumption that certain peoples and societies are less developed than others, and that those who are more developed, i.e. more modern, have the expertise/knowledge to help the less developed (or developing) achieve modernity. The gap between the “developed” North and a “developing” South, and the assumption that development should follow a simple linear progression towards Western definitions of modernity, provided the rationale for the development business which has continued to expand since its inception in the 1940s. During this time, it has become increasingly professionalized. Universities have departments of development studies, and aspiring development experts can take courses in development policy, planning and practice. Some even receive diplomas attesting to their expert status. Indeed, much of development agencies’ policy and planning is based on the premise that these experts, with their special knowledge of the modern, especially the technical world, are particularly well placed to solve the problems of the developing world.
