The document discusses several processes of long-term cultural change identified by Bates, including intensification, specialization, centralization, stratification and inequality, and settlement nucleation. It also discusses individuals and innovation, noting that entrepreneurs are willing to take risks to break with tradition. The document then examines gender inequality and cultural change, paradigms of development like modernization theory, and critiques of conventional development theory, including dependency theory and world systems theory.
The document discusses several processes of long-term cultural change identified by Bates, including intensification, specialization, centralization, stratification and inequality, and settlement nucleation. It also discusses individuals and innovation, noting that entrepreneurs are willing to take risks to break with tradition. The document then examines gender inequality and cultural change, paradigms of development like modernization theory, and critiques of conventional development theory, including dependency theory and world systems theory.
The document discusses several processes of long-term cultural change identified by Bates, including intensification, specialization, centralization, stratification and inequality, and settlement nucleation. It also discusses individuals and innovation, noting that entrepreneurs are willing to take risks to break with tradition. The document then examines gender inequality and cultural change, paradigms of development like modernization theory, and critiques of conventional development theory, including dependency theory and world systems theory.
The document discusses several processes of long-term cultural change identified by Bates, including intensification, specialization, centralization, stratification and inequality, and settlement nucleation. It also discusses individuals and innovation, noting that entrepreneurs are willing to take risks to break with tradition. The document then examines gender inequality and cultural change, paradigms of development like modernization theory, and critiques of conventional development theory, including dependency theory and world systems theory.
• Bates identifies 5 general processes involved in long-term culture
change. • These are regularities manifested over thousands of years, but they are not inevitable nor universal. • Still, culture change tended to go in these directions: 1. Intensification – increase the product that is derived from a unit of land or labor. 2. Specialization – increasingly limited range of production activities in which a single individual is likely to be engaged. 3. Centralization – political power and economic decisions become concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer individuals or institutions. 4. Stratification and inequality – society becomes divided into groups with varying degrees of access to resources and power 5. Settlement nucleation – tendency for nucleation or clustering of settlements of increasing size & density. Individuals and innovation • People are usually conservative hesitant to change ways of doing things that appear to work. Pursue cheapest possible solution – strategy that involves least possible loss of future adaptive ability, minimum sacrifice of flexibility. • Entrepreneurs are willing to take risks, break with tradition. • Operate on boundary between traditional and modern. • Bates’ example is organic farming in U.S. and its gradual acceptance from 1970s to the 1990s. Vive Fred Kirschenmann! Gender, inequality & cultural change • “In every society gender relations are part of a contested domain.” • Myth of the Male Breadwinner Helen Safa’s study of rapid entry of women into industrial workforce – Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba. Some differences but in all cases: • Effort made to diversify economies & launch export industries. • Net family income did not rise as many of new jobs taken by women were offset by jobs lost by men. • Puerto Rican men at least had option of migration to U.S. mainland and sending remittances home. Paradigms of development • Modernization theory – Walt Rostow (1960), The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non- Communist Manifesto. • Development process seen as comprised of stages all countries must pass through. 1. Traditionalism 2. Preconditions for take-off 3. Take-off Walt Whitman Rostow, economist and advisor to U.S. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. 4. Drive to maturity 5. Age of high mass consumption. • Major problem is that 40+ years of development assistance worth billions of dollars has not alleviated worldwide poverty. Linear stages model • Stage 1 Traditional Society Characterized by subsistence economic activity – output is consumed by producers rather than traded agriculture is most important activity production is labor intensive, using limited quantities of capital. • Stage 2 Transitional Stage/Preconditions for takeoff Beginnings of an industrial revolution with development of manufacturing surpluses for trading emerge emerging transport infrastructure entrepreneurial class emerges strong national government. Linear stages model • Stage 3: Take Off Industrialization increases workers switch from agrarian to manufacturing jobs growth concentrated in a few regions of country & in one or two industries society driven more by economy than tradition. • Stage 4: Drive to Maturity Diversification of production supported by technological innovation new forms of industry emerge reduced poverty & rising living standards. • Stage 5: High Mass Consumption Most of society lives in prosperity Consumers are offered both abundance and a multiplicity of choices Production and consumption of durable goods as opposed to simply subsistence concerns. “Fallacies” of Conventional Development Theory
1. Underdevelopment is caused by one or a few
problems that can easily be fixed given “rational policymaking”. 2. Development can be measured using one or a few major indicators. 3. The West is always the appropriate model to use when creating policies. 4. Economic growth itself is always a worthy goal. 5. The developing world is homogeneous. 6. Growth will occur at same rate everywhere once conditions are optimized. Development • Conventional approaches to development are top-down, conceived on a macro-level. • Process is centralized with decisions made at the top by “experts”. • In this type of view, problems such as malnutrition or unemployment are often seen as resulting from indigenous lifestyle. • In reality these problems may be relatively recent – the result of world system’s impact and the incorporation of indigenous people into the global system. • By contrast anthropologists are usually more aware of local-level realities on the ground. • They are more likely to be aware of broad spectrum implications of development that more narrowly focused “experts”. Development • In reality the problems may be relatively recent result of world system’s impact and incorporation of indigenous people into global system. • By contrast anthropologists are usually more aware of local-level realities on ground. • Are more likely to be aware of broad spectrum implications of development that more narrowly focused “experts”. Dependency theory • Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Latin America (1969). • Poverty not caused by lack of entrepreneurial spirit; rather by economic and political exploitation. • In the best interests of the West to keep the developing world dependent – those countries supply raw materials and Andre Gunder Frank then import finished products. • Elites in developing countries compromise their nation’s well being and profit in process. • Corollary – world systems theory associated with Immanuel Wallerstein. Immanuel Wallerstein, Yale University Sociologist World System Theory Key assumptions: 1. Social scientists should study wholes – world system. 2. World System is integrated economically rather than politically and world’s nation- states are economically interdependent. 3. This economic differentiation consists of three basic categories: a) core – developed nations of North America & western Europe. b) periphery – “Third” world, underdeveloped nations (most of Africa, large parts Latin America and parts of Asia). c) semi-periphery – buffer states with more economic opportunities for development. (e.g., Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela). Key assumptions of world system theory
4) Internationally structured inequality is a
deeply rooted historical product. 5) Social processes in particular regions can only be understood in terms of place and function of those regions in the larger world system. Integration of Post-Industrial World Multinational corporations, or MNCs; Transnational coporations, or TNCs. Coca Cola, McDonalds, Nike, IBM, Exxon/Mobil, AOL/Time Warner, Wal Mart, etc. Many have operating budgets far beyond those of most nation-states. Since they are not rooted in one place, MNCs insulated from many political and market pressures. http://www.mcdonaldsindia.net/ North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and European Union (EU) facilitate global organization of production, exchange, consumption. Integration of the Post-Industrial World Neoliberal paradigm implemented through structural adjustment programs, or SAPs. These policies were enacted by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) as conditions for continuance of existing loans and the future extension of new loans. Involve privatization of public sector and subsequent government downsizing. Many of the services that were previously provided by governments were cut or turned over to private enterprise. SAPs Governments of developing nations urged to: eliminate controls on foreign trade.
devalue local currencies.
dismantle domestic price controls.
decrease government spending and
employment. divest themselves of productive assets and enterprises such as railways, energy provision, airlines, etc. Privatization became favorite catchphrase.