French « aperitive » and debates on post-development (2012)

On Tuesday, February 7th, more than twenty people gathered for one of those friendly aperitifs Solidarité is used to organizing on specific thematic. This was the opportunity to reflect on post-development issues. The organization first presented the whole concept and invited Silvia PEREZ-VITORIA, as a member of “La Ligne d’horizon” and the author of “La Riposte des paysans” (*The peasants’ reply), to give the participants her view on post-development. The aperitif took place at La Galerie Goutte de Terre, a Parisian supporting initiatives respect the environment.

© SOLIDARITÉ, 2012

From 7 to 9 pm, the participants discussed the notion of post-development. First of all, Silvia PEREZ-VITORIA explained how it was born in the 70s, from criticism of the development and conferences such as “Défaire le développement, refaire le monde” (*Undo/build the development, redo/build the world). The meeting was then the occasion to think of the main characteristics of development (directionality, communtativity, continuity and irreversibility), why it is sometimes unfairly condemned and that finally leads to post-development initiatives. Various questions aroused from Silvia Pérez-Victoria talk among the participants, thus reaching a very interesting debate on the concept.

Here are some points that were during the aperitif :

• Post-development is not a model; it only s enhancing the value of diversity. Yet, it is impossible to develop a global theory that would be implemented everywhere.
• Post-development questions economic concepts that might be distorted, such as scarcity, one’s needs, and so on.
• Post-development encourages the emergence of new organizational systems.
• Post-development does not work with what a civilization “should” have but with its available resources and means.
• Everything is to be created from what people own.

Solidarité also benefits from a large library with various books and DVDs (in French) that you can order online to improve your knowledge of post-development:

• "Défaire le développement Refaire le monde", from the 2002 conference (*Undo/build the development, redo/build the world)
• "Quand la misère chasse la pauvreté", from Majid Rahnema (*When misery drives poverty away)
• The movie « Live the present differently » (*How to live the present otherwise)
• The CD-ROM "Le développement en question. Vers des sociétés conviviales" (*Questions on development: towards convivial societies)
• Two educational kits on post-development.