UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Human Sciences
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DVA3701: Development Theory
Assignment 2 — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DVA3701
Module Code:
Development Theory
Module Name:
Development Theory: North or South?
Essay Topic:
Assignment 2
Assignment Number:
[Unique Number]
Unique Number:
17 April 2026
Due Date:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for Development Theory (DVA3701) — UNISA 2026
, UNISA | DVA3701 Development Theory – Assignment 2
Introduction
Development theory is one of the most disputed fields in the social sciences; it promises a
road map to human progress but, as many scholars have shown, it often carries the finger-
prints of those who drew it (Pieterse, 2010). This essay examines the concept of develop-
ment theory, traces its historical evolution, and critically evaluates whether it serves the inter-
ests of the global North or the global South. The argument put forward here is that, taken as
a whole, development theory has historically functioned as a tool of Northern intellectual and
political hegemony, though not without internal tensions and genuine efforts at contestation
from Southern scholars.
Page 2 of 13
College of Human Sciences
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DVA3701: Development Theory
Assignment 2 — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DVA3701
Module Code:
Development Theory
Module Name:
Development Theory: North or South?
Essay Topic:
Assignment 2
Assignment Number:
[Unique Number]
Unique Number:
17 April 2026
Due Date:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for Development Theory (DVA3701) — UNISA 2026
, UNISA | DVA3701 Development Theory – Assignment 2
Introduction
Development theory is one of the most disputed fields in the social sciences; it promises a
road map to human progress but, as many scholars have shown, it often carries the finger-
prints of those who drew it (Pieterse, 2010). This essay examines the concept of develop-
ment theory, traces its historical evolution, and critically evaluates whether it serves the inter-
ests of the global North or the global South. The argument put forward here is that, taken as
a whole, development theory has historically functioned as a tool of Northern intellectual and
political hegemony, though not without internal tensions and genuine efforts at contestation
from Southern scholars.
Page 2 of 13
