I feel not relief in my chest, but a tremor of sadness.

I need to stay with my paper: to think it through in ways that I have thus far failed to think it through.

If anyone is willing, I would very much like to read the papers ya'll wrote. And, if you have tips on how to engage in paper writing, please pass them my way.

In solidarity,
~ emiko

Midterm

I started working on my paper about an hour ago. I started from the beginning like she said and worked on one sentence at a time. So far it is working rather well!! Yes, I only have a few senteces but i see what she meant about pulling your words tight, and then building your next sentence from the previous one. My ideas are developing as i'm writing instead of having all the ideas before I start to write. I am starting to think there is hope!!

help

"the hardest part of writing is the words."

i'm freakity freaking about my midterm paper. would any of ya'll want to get together sometime this weekend to give each other support, insight, advice, cigarettes, etc.? i would even love just to be working on my paper next to someone who is also working on their paper - just fucking make me sit there and do it, ya know?

The Problematics of Using Economics as a Way to Measure Development

my midterm so far is thus:

In thinking through development as a project created by the dominant values of the “Global North,” it is crucial to examine the role of economics as a tool and ideology for implementing the goals of such development.

Economics is far from a benign or objective discipline. It is infused with western colonialist history, power, and cultural values.

I would like to look at 3 features of economics that can help us understand the problematics of development discourse. These features are: how economics uses the notion of lack in assessing ‘lesser developed countries’ (illiteracy, poverty, and the World Bank); who and what are excluded from the discourse of development by the centrality of the market (use of the GDP, exclusion of women); and how do the ideals of modernity inform, normalize, and confirm economics (notions of truth, individualism, self-interest)?

*
when do ya'll want to get together to talk more?

~ emiko

Development as Freedom

what exactly is being defined as freedom in this article? health care and education seem to have something to do with it. development apparently is what will bring us to freedom, yes? here are some quotes:

"... this limitation can be substantially avoided by examining the demands of efficiency in terms of individual freedoms, rather than just utilities" (p. 118). what are these individual freedoms?

"... recurrent bearing and rearing of children can be very detrimental to the well-being and freedom of the young mother" (p.144). here, is freedom mobility? freedom from the demands of childcare?

"... the remedy has to lie in more freedom -- including that of public discussion and participatory political decisions. Once again, freedom of one kind (in this case, political freedom) can be seen as helping the realization of freedom of other kinds (particularly, that of economic openness)" (p.123). how will this happen and what will this look like?

Papers brainstorm and dinner?

I was thinking that maybe tuesday after class we could get dinner (and maybe a much needed drink) and each of us bring what we have written so far, (jumbled messes highly encouraged) so we can each talk about what we have written/thought before class on wednesday. That way we can each have more specific questions and ideas for class on Wednesday to bring to Angana and our class discussion. Who's in?

never mind my last post

[after posting this post, i realize this may not be the way i want to go. but perhaps it will make for good discussion? maybe spin into other paper topics? still thinking...]

o.k. maybe i've changed my mind completely. Now I’m thinking about using Truman’s 1949 speech in order to connect colonialism, globalization, and modernity, by using 3 quotes from his speech and exploring the ways in which these concepts carry through different eras of the development project.

Colonialism uses the story of other countries being lesser than “first world" countries and in need of U.S. and European support. He states his reason for intervention, “…in order to help them [LDCs] realize their aspirations for a better life…" Later, countries are farther deemed “lesser than,” with the help of concepts like poverty and illiteracy, requiring the help of U.S..

Globalization (the need for newer markets and a higher level of production) is necessary for the continuation of capitalism, though often not framed as such, instead framed as a means to a higher quality of life. Truman states, "Greater production is the key to prosperity and peace." “Greater production” is normalized through economic discourse, growth discourse, and the like.

Finally, modernity shows up in Truman’s endorsement of the "application of modern science and technology" for the realization of this goal toward a better life for these underdeveloped people. Economics as science legitimizes intervention within the discourse of modernity. Notions of modernity are so entrenched in the audience to which Truman is speaking, that the idea of bringing modernity to others can be read as an act of philanthropy for the betterment of these unfortunate people.

I realize that a lot of what I’m saying in each of these 3 segments bleeds into each other quite a bit. I suppose all of these statements by Truman and discourses that are tied to them point primarily to underdeveloped countries as the beneficiaries, while the ‘modern’ world is seen as enhanced only in so far as the world is enhancement.

I would also like to talk about the need for this discourse post-world war II (with the threat of communism). Perhaps this can be part of the section on Globalization, but I fear this is getting way too broad (once again).

Yeah wait. This is WAY too much, isn’t it? These thoughts are NOT taut. I suppose I could take one of these 3 topics and pull out 3 more subtopics for a paper. Arrggg. Thoughts?