How Did ‘Development Discourse’ Originate in Remote Places Before Development Projects Took Place There?
There are still places in the world that are so remote that they lack primary schools and health facilities, but they have what can be called actors knowledgeable about 'development discourse.' We cannot say for certain that development discourse, by which I mean the series of arguments in support for specific projects of development, entered those places entirely from an external source like a more modern city or university. For example, the human character trope of a ‘development enthusiast’ in the village meeting is something that is all too common, and for all intents and purposes, seems to have organically and internally emerged from the village setting itself. How is this arising of the development enthusiast to be explained generally? How come development discourse came to 'undeveloped' places before actual projects of development—such as good schools and hospitals—did? This question is interesting because it points to the emergence of a sophisticated idea or