Objectives of the Sephis programme

The Sephis programme was established in 1994 and is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Development Cooperation. Sephis aims at encouraging the formation of a South-South network directed towards comparative historical research on long-term processes of change. The comparative perspective is at the core of the Sephis programme. Sephis considers this to be the most promising approach since the grand theories (e.g. modernization theory of the 1950-1960s and dependencia theory of the 1960-1970s) have fallen into disfavour. Today, studies of development have become more historical, more situational, and more concerned with theorizing at the 'middle range'. By choosing a comparative approach, Sephis acknowledges the existence of a variety of historical trajectories and perspectives. Conceding that the word 'comparative' may have different associations for each of us, Sephis does not use a single definition of comparative, but tries to encourage historians to reconsider the links between empirical research and methodological and conceptual issues. For this reason the Sephis Steering Committee selects its projects on the basis of their comparative perspective and their potential for contributing to more satisfactory and historical 'middle range' theories of development.

Alternative Histories

The question of how to recover suppressed or marginalized voices and move to the production of alternative, non-statist histories is a central one for Sephis. The programme aims at initiating and supporting research activities which question the absolute authority of the written documents, and are sceptical about 'statist' and unilinear accounts of history. 'Alternative' also pertains to encouraging the dialogue between the many Southern visions on development and history in addition to the hitherto prevailing North-South exchanges.

The Sephis Themes

The overall theme of this research programme is Historicizing modernity and development, looking at modernity as the basic tenet of the struggles for nationhood and economic prosperity. Central questions in the Sephis programme relate to the contradictions created by the advance of modernity: on the one hand opening up new opportunities, while on the other creating new barriers for many groups and societies. During its first phase that will last until 2011 Sephis is focusing on two subthemes that run through the histories of national and local 'development'/'underdevelopment' in recent times: identity and equity. The first theme of identity focuses on colonial and post-colonial constructions of 'national' and 'community' identities, cultures and histories and the conflicts these generate, asking questions about the discrepancies between different groups in the access to citizenship, human rights and possibilities for political and cultural expression. The second set of issues (addressing equity) focuses on contradictions related to class, community, and gender in national and regional economies and societies: marginalization, differential access to economic resources and the fruits of 'development' as well as the conflicts over these.

The Sephis Steering Committee

Sephis is an independent research programme under the aegis of an international Steering Committee. The members of the Steering Committee are:

Michiel Baud Centre for Latin America Research and Documentation (CEDLA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Carlos Degregori Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP), Lima, Peru
Erwiza Erman Research Center for Regional Studies (PSDR), Jakarta, Indonesia
Shamil Jeppie History Department, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Takyiwaa Manuh Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Matthias Pandian Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi, India
Verene A. Shepherd University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
Sherif Younis Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt