So, Alvin Y. 1990. Social Change and Development: modernization, dependency, and world-systems theories. Sage Publications, Inc.: Newbury Park, CA.
Modernization Theory:
*Emerged in the 1950’s as a product of three historical events
Rise of US as a superpower
Spread of “united world communist movement”
Collapse of European colonial empires in Asia, Africa and Latin America (17)
*Used evolutionary and functionalist theories (18)
*Evolutionary Theory:
Born early 19th C after Industrial and French revolutions (rise in science and technology and ideals of freedom, equality and liberty)
Assumes social change is unidirectional, imposed a value judgment on the evolutionary process (final phase is good because it is progress and civilization), and rate of social change is slow (19).
*Functionalist Theory:
Come from Talcott Parsons, originally trained as a biologist which influenced his view of society with an organism metaphor…different parts of a biological organism correspond to different institutions in society and each institution has a function for the good of the whole
There are 4 critical functions a society must perform:
Adaptation to the environment (by economy)
Goal attainment (by government)
Integration (by legal and religious institutions)
Latency (family and education)
Parsons identified “pattern variables” (sets of dualities) that distinguish modern from traditional societies (ie collective orientation and self-orientation) (21-22).
*Modernization according to Levy: “extent to which tools and inanimate sources of power are utilized.”
Nonmodernized societies are characterized by: low degrees of specialization, high self-sufficiency, strong traditions, little emphasis on money/markets, nepotism, one-way flow of goods and services
Modernized societies: high specialization and interdependency, rationality and universality, centralization, money/markets, two-way flow of goods (25)
*Modernization according to Smelser: applies structural differentiation to 3rd World…it’s modernized if new specialized structures serve the same purpose as before but now more efficiently (26).
Structural differentiation has increased the functional capacity of institutions, but also problem of integration of new institutions _ so new institutions and roles are created to deal with newly differentiated structures (27).
Values conflict
Uneven development
Social disturbances are the result of lack of integration of differentiated structures (28).
*Modernization according to Rostow: happens through economic growth, which is in 5 stages and the first are “take-off” stages.
Need a stimulus (ie revolution) to propel beyond the precondition stage, then mobilize capital and resources to increase investment (29).
Investment can come from detained income (ie taxes), institutions (ie banks, stock market), or foreign trade.
US thought aid was the best way to help modernize (30).
*Modernization according to Coleman: process of differentiation of political structure, secularization of political culture, and enhance capacity of society’s political system (31)
*Assumptions of European evolutionary theory:
Modernization is a phased process, s homogenizing process (33), Europeanization/Americanization process, irreversible process, progressive process, lengthy process (34).
*Assumptions of functionalist theories:
Systematic process, transforming, immanent
*Modernization scholars tend to “anchor their discussions at a highly general and abstract level.” (35)
*Summary on modernization theory:
Modernization theories help justify asymmetrical power relationships between traditional and modern societies
Suggest economic development, replacement of traditional values, institutionalization of democratic procedures
Give legitimacy to the US foreign aid policy (36)
*Criticisms of modernization theory:
Unidirectional development: most modernization researchers are European/American and assume their culture is the most natural (ethnocentrism), and this emphasis ignores other forms of development that aren’t Western and researchers are overly optimistic (54)
Need to Elminate Traditional Values: what is really tradition? 3rd World is a diverse place with full of conflict, there’s not a universal traditional lifestyle. And why should tradition and modern values be mutually exclusive? (56) And why are they necessarily obstacles to modernization? Can modernization totally displce traditional culture?
Methodological Problems: Arguments are too abstract that it’s hard to know which nation and time frame is being referred to. (57) Little before-and-after historical research by scholars.
Marxist critiques: modernization theory is a cold war ideology that’s used to justify US intervention in 3rd World countries (57-58).
Ignores Issues of Forign Domination: focuses on internal traits and ignores the influence of outside forces (58).
*By the late 1970’s criticism of classical modernization theory _ new modernization theory...studies are on a national level, still focus on internal factors and still think that generally modernization benefits the 3rd World (60).
*New theory is different from classical:
Avoids treating tradition and modernity as mutually exclusive, they can coexist and tradition play a beneficial role
Instead of the abstract, focuses on concrete cases (61), “Instead of adapting cases to illustrate theory, the new modernization studies use theory to explain individual case studies (86)
Doesn’t assume development is unidirectional (61)
Pays attention to external factors, although still focuses on internal (61)
Avoids simplistic statements _ more sophisticated analysis
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