Culture as a Determinant for Development: Why External Planning May Fail

By:

This paper questions the absence of culture from development theory and seeks to problematize the expectation that any theory can be generalized over diverse cultures without the inherent provision for significant adaptation from existing cultural practise. It locates the source of this gap between theory and practise as arising from the predominant influence of sociological theory which,conflates development with Western modernity, requiring the overthrow of tradition and cultural norms in advance of progress. It suggests that development theorists must distance themselves from other schools of social thought and must immerse themselves in original fieldwork in order to provide a more pragmatic understanding of the direction of sustainable development. It favours micro-development over macro-development. While this paper in large measure comprises textual research, it also includes data collected through direct field research conducted in Rajasthan, India. Informants for this research include Indian scholars and academics, representatives of NGOs operating in India as well as residents of local villages.

Stream: Cultural Sustainability

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

I currently hold a BA(Hon) in Communications from the University of Calgary and a Master of Philosophy in Humanities from Memorial University of Newfoundland. I have a background in rural and community based development in my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. My main area of research interest is in the role of culture within society with a focus on subcultures such as those of marginalized indigenous peoples in Atlantic Canada. I have a particular interest in the place of culture and tradition in sustainable development that avoids the reification of cultural practises while accommodating the local over the general economy.