Contribution abstract:

This presentation describes the experience and challenges of teaching “development” and “aid” to students in aid-recipient, specifically post-Soviet countries. The Development Aid and Politics course aims to provide students with an overview of contemporary development aid and political aspects of it. At the start of the course, students are asked to give their definitions of “development” and share their opinion on the level of development of their countries. Responses from students with post-Soviet educational experience show that students define “development” in terms of their countries’ historical backgrounds. Responses often romanticize Soviet Union and Russian invasion to the region of Central Asia as bringing “development” and “civilization” to savage peoples. They often use terms as “modernization”, “industrialization” and “literacy” to describe the process of Russian/Soviet colonization of Central Asia and see it as beneficial and positive process. At the same time students tend to disregards the violent methods used by the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, the negative impact of “modernization” on environment, local languages, cultures and ethnic representation. Challenge comes with the attempt to re-construct students understanding of the process of invasion of Russian Empire and Soviet “modernization” in Central Asia. Observation of class discussions and student performance suggests that using agent-centered approach to “development” as well as dissolution of myths (resulting from earlier Soviet propaganda) are more effective in bringing about the motivation to learn than the perspective of passive recipient of “development aid” from developed countries. It helps students to focus on knowledge as an active decision-maker and solution-seeker to existing problems in research and practice. Moreover, it helps students to critically reconsider their countries’ past, even the past that was before the Russian invasion in the region.