I am currently reading Francis Fukayama’s The Origins of Political Order, From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution. It is a vast, sweeping look at human societies and how they come to be organized politically. Fukayama begins with prehistoric societies and ends with modernity. He is a political scientist and historian most well known for declaring the end of human history in The End of History and the Last Man. Oops. To a certain extent, Fukayama was discredited and shamed for this declaration, but he still seems to be producing lots of content. (In essence, Fukayama stated that human history would reach its ultimate social evolutionary culmination with the worldwide spread of liberal democracy and free market capitalism. He made this prediction near the end of the Cold War, when communism was battling the rest of the world for ideological supremacy.)

Fukayama looks kind of silly now, but of course there is always merit in making bold predictions, even if one is wrong. Especially if one is wrong, there is value in using those erroneous ideas to challenge oneself and one’s own belief system. For example, I will watch Fox News, not because I value its content or ideological bent, but because most of what I hear is aggravating and does not sit well with me. So I use this as platform from which to launch a challenge to my own biases and beliefs. I ask myself, why do I think that is wrong? Why do I not subscribe to that ideology? I find it strengthens my own beliefs and opinions and allows me to think in new ways.

But back to Fukayama. There is a quote that has stuck out to me as I am reading the book. He is now discussing the inherent racism of the evolutionary biology theory, and he touches on the “development” industry. Here’s the quote:

“Our continuing use of terms like “developing” or “development” (as in “developing countries” or the “US Agency for International Development”) is testimony to the widespread view that existing rich countries are the product of a prior evolution of socioeconomic forms, and that poor countries would participate in the process of they could.”

Fukayama is addressing the challenges of doing development work and the automatic unlevel playing field it creates for the “developers” and the beneficiaries. I’ve discussed this topic before and how my point of view has changed, going from someone who learned about development first from seeing my father’s example as CIDA employee, then from textbooks and academic articles in school, to now being on the ground. My opinions continue to shift as I experience “real world” development and I suspect this will continue. As will my struggle with the inherent inequalities in the world. But for now, this quote, and Fukayama’s book, are giving me more food for thought.