Ruins and Rhythms of Development and Life After Progress

Abstract

Since the rise of capitalist modernity, communities across the world have been convinced by the potential of development and progress. This article steps aside from the idea of continuous and unilinear change, and examines contemporary afterlives of broken developmentalist dreams. By assembling ethnographies from countries politically defined as growth-engines in three different regions of the world (Brazil, Germany and India), we propose that development no longer inspires the same aspirations about progress. By exploring how material decay and shattered expectations become intimately woven into the everyday experiences of local populations, we show how the ruinous effects of pursuing economic growth leaves ordinary people to a life on their own terms. At this current historical juncture, we argue for the analytical productiveness of exploring ‘the after’ rather than ‘the otherwise’. This is pursued through an interrogation of the irregular rhythms of ‘life after progress’.