The myth of minority. Toward decolonizing time and pedagogy

Western modernity, with its implicit premise and promise, rests upon a teleological and linear conception of historical progression. Gradually, this perspective established itself as normative for all of humanity. During the 18th and 19th centuries, linear representations of cognitive development emerged, comparing those who had already developed with those still in progress. These representations found their way into the pedagogical field, reversing the conventional relationship between the past and the future. In this vision, the dominant trajectory is simultaneously portrayed as desirable and inevitable, and those who fail to conform are effectively marginalized and left “out of time”. Drawing inspiration from debates in postcolonial studies and critiques of development models, we will explore how in the Global North the constructs of development, which underpin education and developmental psychology, resonate with economic developmental policies.