Lost for Words - The real dilemma behind development's language wars : Devex Newswire

Words matter. That’s the preface of Oxfam’s new inclusive language guide.

Clearly.

The multimillion-dollar organization says it’s been bombarded with vitriol since releasing its guide on what’s appropriate and what’s not in development-speak — “developing countries” is out, apparently, but “global south” is OK. Not surprisingly, the guide has stirred up a hornet’s nest of discussion.

But the vernacular of development has been constantly evolving since its inception — often to suit an agenda. In the wake of World War II, for instance, when people were souring on imperialism, the French and others used the notion of “development” to put a glossy sheen on colonization. Instead of lording over populations, they were uplifting them.

“When colonizers increasingly used the term development in the ‘40s and ‘50s, it was to prove to the broader world that empires could reform and there could be equal polities,” scholar Jessica Pearson tells Devex contributing reporter Jason Steinhauer.

But the framing can go both ways. “Third World” was adopted by decolonizing nations in the 1950s and 1960s because it referenced the French Revolution of peasants rising up against the elite. Today, Oxfam frowns on the term.

Perhaps, Jason writes, the perpetual cycle of shifting terminology reflects our inability to solve stubborn problems such as poverty and inequality — despite the billions spent on development each year — no matter how we parse it.

Lost for words: How development grapples with inclusive language

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