Postscript: International Development Studies for Co-existence/Co-becoming in the Pluriverse

Abstract

This special issue initially set out to re-evaluate the growing importance of particularity/specificity in international development studies by exploring personal experiences of international students. In the course of this process, it has become evident that their experiences resonate with some of the existing scholarly debates in international development studies, but more significantly, with the emerging debate on pluriverse and pluriversal development. It is the aim of this postscript to make a modest contribution towards examining the potential of international development studies for pluriversal co-existence. In this regard, the paper draws upon three key findings/messages derived from the authors' experiences, emphasising the significance of: (1) a thorough exploration of personal experience and positionality, rather than dismissing them as ‘unscientific practice’; (2) the plurality of realities manifested in each author's personal experience; and (3) the potential basis for solidarity and coexistence (and even co-becoming) through such plural experience.