The Pedagogy of Global Development: the promotion of electoral democracy and the Latin Americanisation of Europe

摘要

This contribution uses insights from the field of critical pedagogy to study North-South power relations. It analyses the attempts of the European Union to promote democracy in the 'developing world', or Global South. The metaphor of development helps to reproduce the idea that Europe is more adult. It thereby assumes the social function of the teacher whose role is to instruct and guide the more child-like countries towards the path of development. Contrary to the prevalent idea that the developing world is 'behind' Europe, the article will argue that, in issues such as cultural hybridization and growth of the informal sector, Europeans could learn about their own futures from their Southern counterparts. To conclude, the article explores the challenges of constructing North-South relations based on the democratic principle of learning together and links these with more general questions of global democratisation.