Development and colonialism: The past in the present

This project explores the similarities, differences and overlaps between contemporary debates on international development and humanitarian intervention with the historical artefacts and strategies of Empire. The parallels between, for example, the language of nineteenth century liberal imperialism and the humanitarian interventionism of the post-Cold War era are striking. This research articulates the belief that these comparisons are not just anecdotal but analytically revealing. From the language of moral necessity and conviction; the design of specific aid packages; the devised forms of intervention and governmentality; through to the life-style, design and location of NGO encampments, the research seeks to account for the numerous and often striking parallels between contemporary international security, development and humanitarian intervention, and the logic of Empire.