Photo: Juliana Kozoski/Unsplash
In a new article from the Danish Development Research Network (DDRN), Professor Fredrik Söderbaum – SweDev co-founder and longstanding steering committee member and based at the University of Gothenburg’s School of Global Studies – reflects on the evolving state of Development Studies, describing a field marked by fragmentation, institutional challenges, and ongoing debates on knowledge production.
What is happening to Development Studies? Drawing on an interview with Söderbaum, the piece highlights his view that the field is not facing a crisis of relevance, but rather a “crisis of identity.” According to Söderbaum, this shift is shaped by increasing fragmentation and the prevalence of “dual loyalties,” where researchers are rooted in traditional disciplines while engaging with development issues.
The article builds on earlier discussions initiated at the DevRes 2021 conference, organised by SweDev, where Söderbaum contributed to a roundtable on the future of development thinking. Four years later, the interview revisits these questions and explores how the field has evolved since.
Söderbaum also points to the weak institutional position of Development Studies in Sweden, including limited funding and a lack of dedicated PhD programmes. As he notes, “Out of more than 100 PhD programmes in Sweden of relevance for development, none were trained purely within Development Studies.” He further reflects on key debates around the concept of the “Global South” and ongoing efforts to decolonise research processes, which have advanced but continue to face structural constraints.
Overall, Development Studies emerges from the interview as a dynamic and still highly relevant field, where the central challenge lies in navigating diversity, disciplinary tensions, and unequal global knowledge structures.
