Introducción: Desarrollo en Centroamérica: Modelos, Debates, Prácticas e Imaginarios

This article offers a brief introduction to the research in this dossier and its concep- tual organization. The works emerged out of an interdisciplinary conference we orga- nized in November 2013 at the University of Berne, Switzerland to examine develop- ment imaginaries, discourses and practices in Central America for the period after 1945. T aken together, the research suggests that policy and discourse—even poetic discourse— cannot be fully disentangled since the production of knowledge and its engagement have proven central to debates over development. That said, these works suggest the need further study on the popular perception of the notions, policies and projects that give form to the idea of development in the region This article offers a brief introduction to the research in this dossier and its concep-tual organization. The works emerged out of an interdisciplinary conference we orga-nized in November 2013 at the University of Berne, Switzerland to examine develop-ment imaginaries, discourses and practices in Central America for the period after 1945.Taken together, the research suggests that policy and discourse—even poetic discourse—cannot be fully disentangled since the production of knowledge and its engagement haveproven central to debates over development. That said, these works suggest the needfurther study on the popular perception of the notions, policies and projects that give form to the idea of development in the region.