Islamabad and the Politics of International Development in Pakistan

by Markus Daechsel

This is a highly original account of the design and development of Pakistan's capital city; one of the most iconic and ambitious urban reconstruction projects of the twentieth century. Balancing archival research with fresh, theoretical insights, Markus Daechsel surveys the successes and failures of Greek urbanist Constantinos A. Doxiadis's most ambitious endeavour, Islamabad, analysing how the project not only changed the international order, but the way in which the Pakistani state operated in the 1950s and 1960s. In dissecting Doxiadis's fraught encounter with Pakistani policy makers, bureaucrats and ordinary citizens, the book offers an unprecedented account of Islamabad's place in post-war international development. Daechsel provides new insights into this period and explores the history of development as a charged, transnational venture between foreign consultants and donors on the one side and the postcolonial nation state on the other.

Genres: History

331 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2015

About the author

Markus Daechsel has studied history and political science at the University of
Erlangen and the University of London. He is currently a lecturer of South Asian
History at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests focus on the
society, culture and politics of South Asian Muslims.

Reviews

[urwa]

i mean just an incredible book. highly recommend for an understanding of what the hell "development" is after decolonization. and of course the origins of korangi and isb