Post-Colonial Development and Health

Abstract

The post-World War II era marked the rise of new nation-states. Released from the shackles of European colonialism, the former colonies as newly emerging nations began to chart their own courses toward becoming modern global partners with and for their former colonizers. Manifestos of various political persuasions and economic strategies became blueprints for transforming colonialist architectures of rule into nationalist administrations. One important manifesto that spoke a common language across the globe was development ideology. For newly emerging nation-states in search of an international language to legitimate their status as democratic nations among democracies, development ideology, based on the authoritative ground of “scientific” theory and technique, provided immediate entry into an international network of power, knowledge, and finance. The health of the population and...