Gustavo Esteva: A Critique of Development and other essays

In his reflections on decolonization and post-development, Gustavo Esteva forged a unique synthesis of critical theory and political economy. This book presents more than half a century of "reflection in action" in the form of essays, books, and interventions in national and international forums and newspaper articles—most published here for the very first time. It showcases Esteva’s evolving thought on economic theory, social change, revolutionary subjectivity, transition, development, the challenges of a new era and personal and communal autonomy, all associated with the challenges and advances in the construction of a new society. Through this translation, Esteva’s writings engage with many of the important cultural and political debates of the present day and retain their power both to provoke and move the reader. Readers will see a thinker at work, formulating local, grassroots alternatives as they are emerging in Mexico and Latin America, with a keen sensibility to what happens in other regions of the world. Gustavo Esteva: A Critique of Development and Other Essays offers a lucid insight into the climatic and sociopolitical collapses we face and will be of interest to students and scholars of critical theory, post-colonial and de-colonial studies, and post-development studies.

About the Author

Gustavo Esteva (1936–2022)† was a grassroots activist and "deprofessionalized intellectual". He was the founder of the Universidad de la Tierra in Oaxaca, Mexico. As one of the best-known advocates of post-development, he held that the whole concept and practice of development is a reflection of Western-Northern hegemony over the rest of the world.

Katy Dix is a Guatemalan-American translator and former external collaborator at the Universidad de la Tierra, Mexico.