Mind the Gap: Investigating the Presence of Colonial Attitudes Among Global Development Workers

Abstract

Over the last couple of decades, there have been increased calls to confront the legacies of colonialism. Structures and systems that resulted from colonial-era policies and practices are being confronted through postcolonial theory as well as decolonization movements. The effects of both colonial mentality (internalized attitudes of colonialism by the colonized) and a colonial attitude (views that ascribe notions of superiority) have been researched extensively, however, literature quantifying both are sparse. The purpose of this empirical study is to identify if a colonial attitude exists among development workers, and if so, to what degree.