ABSTRACT
The introduction will contextualise current development education practice in the context of the twin emergencies of climate change and COVID-19, which have both emanated from the mass production and consumption of the neoliberal model. They have exposed the moral vacuum and economic failings at the heart of the neoliberal-driven ‘development’ template that has dominated global economic relations since the 1970s. These crises are, perhaps, the starkest reminder yet that ‘development’ as a concept is in urgent need of rigorous re-appraisal. As a radical sub-sector of international development with a commitment to critical enquiry and action, development education can support debate within the sector and wider civil society on how we re-conceptualise development to support the sustainability of the planet and wellbeing of citizens.
The introduction will offer definitions of development education and analysis of how it connects to mainstream formal education practice. It will argue that the Sustainable Development Goals are not equal to the challenges of neoliberalism and demand more radical proposals allied to a Green New Deal. It argues that the international non-governmental organisations that were a mainstay of global learning in its earliest manifestations need to re-embrace this radical pedagogy to sustain public engagement with global issues. The main sections of the book will be introduced in this chapter.
