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This project is developed within a 3rd Cycle Merit Scholarship attributed by Iscte-IUL.
If development is a crucial concept for understanding the trajectories of African countries after independence, it is, on the other hand, a concept that is rarely questioned, as it is considered by many policy makers in these nations to be the only worthy project for society to pursue. This thesis proposes to conduct a critical examination of the discourse of development (based on the idea of modernity and progress) in relation to Africa, and to examine the extent to which certain visions of the good lifecan inspire alternative models of development.
Based on the proposal of Epistemologies of the South, which promotes the multiplicity of discourses and models of society, we investigate what constitutes the concept of the good life for the Bijagó populations of the Urok Islands (Guinea-Bissau) and to what extent it suggests an alternative model of development. To this end, we conducted a four-month ethnographic study.
We discovered that in the local language (Bijagó) there is an expression equivalent to well-being: kosena animoto, which means happiness for the land/community, representinga concept of good life that is intrinsically communal.
Kosena animoto does not correspond to the notion of a good life of an economic, evolutionary and individualistic nature underlying the concept of development, since human beings as individuals are not the centre of concern, but rather human beings within the community. While for the members of these communities development is associated with the idea of modernisation driven by science and technology, as well as the improvement of material conditions of existence, kosena animoto is more associated with a state of tranquillity, peace and harmonious social relations.
Keywords: Development, post-development, Epistemologies of the South, non-Eurocentric conceptions of well-being/good life, Urok Islands, Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau
| Research Centre | Research Group | Role in Project | Begin Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEI-Iscte | Sustainable Societies | Partner | 2020-08-01 | 2024-07-31 |
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| Name | Affiliation | Role in Project | Begin Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amadu Djaló | PhD Scholar (CEI-Iscte); | PhD Scholar | 2020-08-01 | 2024-07-31 |
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