Question

Which of the following statement(s) about Arturo Escobar’s work Encountering Development is/are CORRECT?

• A. He was highly inspired by the 1949 inaugural address by U.S President Harry Truman, which proposed that U.S.A should play an active role in solving global poverty
• B. He stated that development was a top-down, ethnocentric and techno-centric approach, which treated people and cultures as abstract concepts, statistical figures to be moved up and down in the chart of progress
• C. He stated that opponents of the development discourse were also forced to articulate their critiques within the ‘development’ framework
• D. He did not see much hope in autonomous peasant development strategies as they would be very limited in their scope

Hint:

Escobar’s central argument is that development is not a neutral or objective project, but a discourse rooted in Western domination. Focus on how he deconstructs this narrative.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B, C

Step 1: Understand the essence of Escobar’s critique.

In Encountering Development, Arturo Escobar critiques development as a Western-led discourse that emerged post-World War II. He emphasized how the global South was framed as "underdeveloped" and in need of transformation according to Western models.

Step 2: Evaluate the options.

(A) Incorrect: While Truman's 1949 speech is often cited in the context of development discourse, Escobar did not frame his arguments as being inspired by Truman. Rather, he critiqued such speeches as foundational to a problematic discourse.

(B) Correct: Escobar explicitly argues that development was techno-centric, ethnocentric, and top-down, reducing complex societies into numbers for manipulation in the name of progress.

(C) Correct: Escobar points out that even the critics of development often remain trapped within the development discourse itself, reinforcing the very system they challenge.

(D) Incorrect: Escobar did find promise in local and autonomous alternatives to development, such as peasant strategies and indigenous models of sustainability. He did not dismiss them as limited.