Critical Theory, Practice-oriented Skills, and Affective Learning
Kearrin Sims It has long been recognised that development studies must strike a balance between a critical (perhaps radical) interrogation of development, and the delivery of practical skills for undertaking development work. These two undertakings are, of course, interrelated. Good development practice is informed by a sound understanding of relevant theory, and theoretical debates need to be attentive to shifts in policy and practice. As Harris notes, development studies seeks to both understand ‘how and why the social world is constituted’, and to provide strategies and interventions that are intended to bring about change (2005: 18).