Colonialism, Capitalism and Development

Dr. Md. Faruk Shah

Associate Professor
Department of Development Studies
University of Dhaka
 Understanding Imperialism, Colonialism & Development

• “Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule of a nation or empire over other nations”
(Kottak, 2007:531)
• Colonialism refers to the political, social, economic, and cultural domination of a territory and
its people by a foreign power for a long period of time.
• Like colonialism, economic development by outsiders usually carries ideological
justifications to guide local people to achieve certain goals.
• The search for resources and new markets to increase profits fueled British colonialism.
• The expansion of colonialism was justified on the ground that native peoples were not capable
of governing themselves and hence needed the colonialist to provide and maintain order.
 Postcolonial Studies & Development

• Postcolonial refers to the study of the interactions between colonizers

and colonized.
• The term may also indicates the position against imperialism and Euro-
centrism ( Petragli-Bahri, 1996).
• The postcolonies are divided into settler (Australia), nonsettler (India),
and mixed (South Africa)
 Defining Development

• In general, development refers to positive change or progress.

• It also indicates natural metaphors of organic growth and evolution.
• The Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines development as ‘stage
of growth or advancement’ (1988: 200).
• The debate between the label of ‘developed’ and ‘underdeveloped’
began since 1949 (Esteva, 1993)
• Are there many developments across the world?
 Capitalism and colonialism: 1700–1949
• Age of competitive capitalism’ (1700–1860): an era of radical social
and political struggles in which feudalism was increasingly undermined
(Larrain, 1989: 1).
• Profound economic and political changes as a result of enlightment
• Later colonial periods (1850–1950), notions of progress and
enlightenment were key to colonial discourses, where the ‘natives’
were constructed as backward or childlike, and the colonizers as
rational agents of progress (Said, 1978: 40).
 The postcolonial era: 1949 onwards

• Presidents Truman used the word ‘development’

• Emphasize was given on economic growth and modernity.
• Growth involves technological sophistication, urbanization, high levels
of consumption and a range of social and cultural changes.
 Is the ‘aid industry’ a form of ‘neo-imperialism’?

Three groups:
1. Aid is a way in which the political and economic power of the North
continues to be exercised over the South
2. There are benefits to donors hence not to be understood as only
exploitative.
3. Why aid projects fail and suggest how they could help.
Source: Gardner & Lewis, 2015:16
 Theories of Development
Modernization theory: argues that the forms of growth already experienced in the North are
taken as a model for the rest of the world. It views traditional society as a series of negatives:
stagnant and unchanging, not innovative, not profit-making, not progressing, not growing.
However, Hill (1986) found that these societies do change, and they do know better what is
good for them.
Growth model: views development as a series of successive stages through which all
traditional societies must pass. However, this approach ignores the internal cultural dynamics
of the Third World countries (Ahmed & Sen, 2000)
Dependency Theory: argues that development is an essentially un-equalising process: while
rich nations get richer, the rest inevitably get poorer. However, it tends to treat peripheral
states and populations as passive, being blind to everything but their exploitation.
Basic Needs Theory: focuses to determine what a society needs for subsistence. However,
basic needs approach lacks theoretical rigour, practical precision, contradicts with growth
policies.
 The demise of development theory???

• The 1990s: A time of ‘postmodernity’? (Cultural & intellectual rejection of

modernity)
• Development is a discourse (Escober, 1991)
• Post Development theory: empowerment, human development and people’s
participation
• Anthropology and post-development: into the twenty-first century
• Anthropologists, social change and cultural relativism
What, then, do we mean by development? We use the term here to refer to
processes of social and economic change that have been precipitated by economic
growth, and/or specific policies and plans, whether at the level of the state, donor
agencies or indigenous social movements. These can have either positive or
negative effects on the people who experience them. Development is a series of
events and actions, as well as a particular discourse and ideological construct. We
assume that these events and actions are inherently problematic; indeed, some
aspects of development are actively destructive and disempowering (Gardner &
Lewis, 2015:44).
Thank You and Questions???