1^st Workshop in Indonesia (TBC: April 2027)

Pritish Behuria (University of Manchester), Arief Anshory Yusuf (Padjadjaran University), Sebeka Plaatje (University of South Africa), Elvis Avenyo (University of Johannesburg) and Andy Sumner (King’s College London).

Since its inception, development studies has appeared to be in perpetual crisis. The current geopolitical moment, as well as reductions in foreign aid, has contributed to these old discussions resurfacing. Despite what may seem to be uncertainty about the future of the field, new development studies programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level have proliferated globally. There are also issues of consistent knowledge divides where the ‘Future of the Development Studies’ continues to be debated in North America and Europe yet the voices of the Global Majority, especially those residing in Asia and Africa remain hidden from sight.

To enhance spaces for early-career researchers based in the Global South, we will be holding two workshops on ‘Towards a Global South-driven Future for Development Studies’. The aim of the workshop is to centre the voices of early-career researchers working on ‘development’ (broadly conceived) who are based in Asia and Africa. We see this as part of a series of events in the future to deepen knowledge about the experiences of studying and researching development studies outside North America and Europe. The immediate goal of this programme (comprising one workshop in Indonesia and one in Johannesburg) is to publish one edited collection with a prestigious university press and/or a special issue, entirely comprising chapters written by early career scholars based in Asia and Africa.

We invite extended abstracts (750-1,000 words) to be submitted by 30 September on one of the subjects listed below. These workshops are funded by a British Academy Writing Workshop grant (IWW25/100268), which was awarded in 2026, and is part of a collaboration between The University of Manchester, King’s College London, Padjadjaran University, University of South Africa and University of Johannesburg.

Defining development has always been contentious. In fact, the concept itself has been defined in so many ways and has become so laden with baggage about what it is and whose interests it reflects that it now may act as a flashpoint for conflict between different schools of thought in development studies. For some, it means raising living standards. But even there, there is debate about how to raise living standards: targeting growth exclusively, focusing on structural transformation or prioritising policies aimed at individual empowerment (through health and education). Others argue that development is associated with the imposition of western oppression in the form of modernity. Some call for socio-economic transformation or even alternatives to development while others a more minimalist, better status quo without modernity or major transformations

There is also an overwhelming tendency to equate ‘development’ narrowly in relation to ‘foreign aid’, best epitomised by Adam Tooze’s recent claims of the ‘end of development’. However, development, to many and especially in the Global South has different origins and a very different meaning, which is not beholden to how Europeans and North Americans engage with the rest of the world.

Development studies has always been specifically concerned with analysing socio-economic development in what are popularly considered ‘developing countries’. Binary categorisations of developing/developed, Global South/Global North have long been criticised by scholars from neighbouring disciplines and even some working within development studies. Structuralists made the case for distinguishing between ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries or ‘core’ and ‘periphery’ on the basis of the subordinate position of ‘developing’ countries within the global political economy. Very few countries, most of which are in East Asia, have sustained economic transformation over the last 70 years and reduced the gap in income and other indicators with industrialised Western countries. On the other hand, recent ‘global development’ scholarship has made the case for more universalist framings of development, arguing that the differences between countries of the Global South and the Global North have blurred sufficiently far to make the binary meaningless, arguing instead that there are common problems faced across all societies.

Papers engaging with this theme should examine the question of which regions ‘development studies’ should focus on and what the case should be for such a choice. This is a vibrant debate within the field so any paper should engage with existing discussions about this subject, which have proliferated over the last decade.

Development studies has a prominent presence in Europe, which has been attributed to colonial history. This version of development, associated with Harry Truman’s post-WWII speech has been closely associated with aid-driven development and has been a target of criticism across the social sciences. Paradoxically, there are other Southern-based origin stories of development, most closely associated with Bandung that are as notable. This history is influenced by an anti-imperialist agenda and the formal decolonisation process, emphasising emancipation and national development. Calls to decolonise knowledge have grown louder over the last decade though the intellectual decolonisation (of knowledge creation and use) and decolonial theory are not necessarily synonymous for all. Those who emphasize epistemic power contend that the perpetuation of stereotypes, exoticization, and the devaluation of non-Western cultures have served as the primary oppressive mechanisms. On the other hand, proponents of material political economy argue that the global South’s primary oppressive mechanisms are deeply rooted in history, economic structures, international trade, debt burdens, and unequal access to resources.

Arguably, traditional discussions of development studies may seem out of the date given rapid changes within the global economy, technological advances, geopolitics and many other reasons. This theme invites papers ranging from new topics that are set to re-shape the parameters of the field including, for example, geopolitics and development, green transition and artificial intelligence. These papers must make clear how they fit the ‘Future of Development Studies’ (rather than just the future of development itself).

We will need three documents from all participants: 1) An extended abstract; 2) A short 2-page CV and 3) A writing sample (ideally a chapter of a PhD thesis or published journal article but work-in-progress is acceptable). Please send these documents to Pritish Behuria ([email protected]) by 30 September, 2026.

Extended abstracts should follow the guidance below on writing extended abstracts and should clearly state the main contributions of the paper. Abstracts should be 750-1000 words long. If accepted for the conference, we will request final versions of short papers (3000-4000 words) or full papers (6,000-8,000 words long) be submitted by 15 January 2027. Papers must be submitted in order to attend the workshop and claim travel expenses.

The first Asia conference will be held in Bandung, Indonesia, the location of the 1955 Asia-Africa conference of independent leaders in April 1955 (which ultimately led in the following years to the establishment of non-aligned movement and the G77 group of nations). Our host is Padjadjaran University in Bandung, Indonesia. The workshop will be in April 2027 (date TBC).

The conference will have three days of events. The first day will be dedicated to presentations by participants for the ‘Future of Development Studies’ workshop. The outputs of this workshop will contribute to the publication of book chapters for an edited volume in a reputed academic press or a journal article for a special issue in a leading development studies journal. The second day will include presentations by Indonesia-based early career scholars on their work-in-progress to get feedback to support submission of their papers to academic journals. The third day will include focused events to provide support for early career researchers (including academic article writing, journal selection, grant applications and career opportunities).

Outputs presented at the workshop will be part of an edited collection or a special issue that will fully comprise of early-career scholars based in Asia and Africa on ‘Towards a Global South-driven Future for Development Studies’. The edited collection will be submitted to a prestigious academic press. The special issue will be published in a leading development studies journal.

A guide for early career researchers in International Development Studies

An extended abstract (750-1,000 words) is not a summary of work in progress. It is a condensed argument. Reviewers use it to decide whether your paper fits the programme. They need to see a clear question, a stated position, and evidence of intellectual rigour, not a tour of the terrain you plan to explore.