Post-development, Foucault and the colonisation metaphor

This article analyzes the shortcomings of post-development criticism by using the works of Michel Foucault as a theoretical departure point, therefore drawing a distinction between the operation of power in colonial and development eras, requiring a shift away from ideas that a single force directs development and the colonization metaphor used by some writers on post-development. The author combines Foucault's concept of normalization with his notion of 'dispositif' in order to understand how postwar development projects operated and to understand the power operations of the World Bank.