While the possibility of producing a de-colonized, post colonial knowledge in development studies became a subject of considerable debate in the 1990s, there has been little dialog between post colonialism and development. However, the need for development studies that is post colonial in theory and practice is now increasingly acknowledged. This means recognizing the significance of language and representation, the power of development discourse and its material effects on the lives of people subject to development policies. It also means acknowledging the already post colonial world of development in which contemporary re workings of theory and practice, such as grassroots and participatory development, indigenous knowledges and global resistance movements, inform post colonial theory."Postcolonialism and Development" explains, reviews and critically evaluates recent debates about post colonial approaches and their implications for development studies. By outlining contemporary theoretical debates and examining their implications for how the developing world is thought about, written about and engaged with in policy terms, this book unpacks the difficult, complex and important aspects of the relationship between post colonial approaches and development studies, making them accessible, interesting and relevant to both students and researchers.Each chapter builds an understanding of post colonial approaches, their historical divergences from development studies and more recent convergences around issues such as discourses of development, knowledge, and power and agency within development. Up-to-date illustrations and examples from across the regions of the world bring to life important theoretical and conceptual issues. This topical book outlines an agenda for theory and practice within a post colonial development studies and illustrates how, while post colonialism and development pose significant mutual challenges, both are potentially enriched by each others insights and approaches.