How does my introduction sound???

zosad_seoul

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2015
Messages
143
Reaction score
0
Among numerous development representations, Economics has been the centre of the subject for decades. Ranging from environmental issues to HIV/AIDS, our perception of development is, to a large extent, conformed to the abstracted development representations of Economics. We are imputed with the belief that market-orient approach is the best universal blueprint to development issues. Consequently, development issues become statistically governable, i.e. problem-solving oriented. In other words, the South becomes the object awaited to be rescued by the North. To further our understanding on how development representations constitute our perception, the theories of Spectacle and Virtualism unbundle the alienation and fetishisation in the production of development issues constructed by development representations. Debord (1967) presents Spectacle as the mediator of social relationships between individuals by depicting a particular model of imageries, be they information, images or knowledge, before its audiences. Carrier (1998) and Carrier & West (2009) define Virtualism as a social process whereby people are conformed to a virtual vision. That is, the result of a certain mode of study/behaviour/ideology that sets a partial theoretical perception of the world. It turns into Virtualism when people regard this partiality as the universal definition of the world. Differently put, we become the object of our own creation. In this essay, I use development representations of conservation as one of my major arguments for their usefulness. Carbon offset and wilderness are imageries produced by Spectacle which mediates our relationships with the environment. Spectacle here forms an imagined relationship between individual and the environment at micro-level because it is our everyday interactions that determines our perceptions. Lastly, I conclude that theories of Spectacle and Virtualism complement each other in unveiling Marxist’s argument about the fusion of different things as mere economic units on the market, embedded in the economised development representations. I suggest, to close the distance formed by development representations, development discourse has to change. Multi-disciplinary approach should therefore be deployed for emancipating our perception.
 
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts.

Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards, Terms of Service and Member T&Cs for more information.
Top