Over the past few decades, the problem of extreme global inequality has become the object of concern for progressive-minded Westerners. And the solution that they propose—with nearly unanimous consensus—is “development,” usually modified with popular keywords such as “sustainable” or “community.” The idea of development holds primacy of place in the progressive politics of American campuses. Nearly every college student these days is in some way enamored with the problem of poverty and the development solution, as evidenced by the enormous surge in student service projects like Alternative Spring Break. Development, it seems, is all the rage. Participation in development projects has become a “rebellious” activity, in the mold of Che Guevara cardigans and gritty New York clubs. Young people can demonstrate their disaffection with the excesses of American capitalism and mainstream consumerism by going abroad to uplift impoverished communities, casting themselves as “global citizens” concerned about critical political issues. Indeed, they can use these experiences to craft their identity as “counter-cultural,” thus expressing their individuality and non-conformism in a radical mold. They come home from Honduras or Ghana and post pictures on their Facebook profiles of their time spent working among the poor, holding hungry babies, sweaty from digging wells or building schools. Such images carry a tremendous amount of cultural capital, as they flag the most highly valued kind of “alternative” personal narrative. So valued, in fact, that having a development project on your resume can be the ticket to a better-paying job in the future, as it indicates the sort of individual creativity that competitive companies seek. After graduating from college, students who cultivate alternative identities along these lines often pursue careers in the development sector, where they can address the problems of global poverty while still securing a respectable middle-class income. Professional development work has come to stand in for substantive political activism. This is revolution made compatible with consumer lifestyles: development workers can enjoy well-paying jobs without feeling like they are “selling out.” – The Culture of Capitalism and the Crisis of Critique https://academia.edu/1467778/The_Culture_of_Capitalism_and_the_Crisis_of_Critique
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 09:48:43 +0000