This chapter explores development as a contested concept, shaped by Enlightenment ideals, colonial legacies, and modernisation theories. Post-Development critiques challenge its Eurocentrism and hierarchical assumptions. Alternative visions such as Buen Vivir in Latin America and the Singapore model highlight non-Western pathways that redefine prosperity, sustainability, and statecraft. The chapter also considers how global frameworks like the SDGs reframe development while ethnographic museums reveal shifts in public narratives of colonialism. Ultimately, the chapter argues that development is always normative, yet adaptable, continually re-interpreted through critique, resistance, and local innovation.