Burning?

Burning? is a publication borne of a series of research, exhibitions, performances, lectures, conversations and workshops within UNRAVELING THE (UNDER-) DEVELOPMENT COMPLEX OR TOWARDS A POST- (UNDER-) DEVELOPMENT INTERDEPENDENCE. This project was inspired by Walter Rodney’s seminal work How Europe Underdeveloped Africa and the questions he leaves us with today. We are now accepting submissions to our first issue, which will focus on the “development complex.”

We are looking for honest and thoughtful perspectives on “development” – what it is, what it means, how it is done, whom it serves, the conditions it produces and the potentials it undermines. We welcome all kinds of written work and are especially interested in original research, reporting, and investigative work into the global development complex. We want to know about its agents and its effects; we want to hear from its opponents.

A note on style and content 
Maybe you have noticed that academic, theoretical, and critical writing is often dull, repetitive, and needlessly complex. It is our view that certain stylistic conventions stifle a writer’s creative voice and undermine any chance that readers actually enjoy what’s been written. This style does damage to readers and writers alike. We don’t like that and see no good reason why it should be this way. 

With that said, we encourage all our contributors to write as you speak, however that might sound. This is an invitation to prioritize clarity and novelty in your writing without compromising on personal style or creativity.