Social Science as Imperialism: The Theory of Political DevelopmentClaude Ake's study is primarily concerned with what he terms 'the most perinicious form of imperialism' namely scientific knowledge. Ake analyses how Western social sciences, whether consciously or inadvertently, foist capitalist values and capitalist development on the Third World, and serve imperialist ends. He unravels the theory of political development/'westernisation', exposing its ideological character and condemning 'Western development studies as worse than useless'. He then develops his analysis of the imperialist and ideological characteristics of Western social sciences to posit alternatives which may more successfully overcome permanent underdevelopment; and advocates a struggle for a new model of social sciences which is socialist-orientated, and that developing countries reject Western models. The study was first published in 1979, revised in 1982, is newly reissued, and for the first time, widely available outside Africa. Claude Ake (1939-1996) was one of Africa's most distinguished political and social scientists and democrats of the twentieth century, writing widely and polemically on what were his life-long concerns of democracy and the future of the African continent. |
Contents
The Theory of Political Development | 1 |
Theory and Reality | 16 |
The Ideological Character of the Theory | 76 |
Copyright | |
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action administration Africa allocation Almond and Powell analysis Aspects of Political autonomy become behaviour bureaucracy bureaucratic organization capabilities capacity capitalism capitalist values characterized classification Coleman Comparative Politics concept of political contemporary Crises and Sequences crisis cultural secularization defined definition demands developed countries developmental variables distinction distribution Easton economic development effect empirical environment equality Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft Ibid ideology imperialism imperialist individual inputs interaction legitimacy Lucian Pye market society Max Weber ment mode of production modern norms orientations Palombara participation particular political culture political development political roles political science political structures political system Princeton Series problem question rational received social science regulation relation role specialization rule Samir Amin scientific sense sequence of political social scientists specific structural differentiation subsystems theory of political things Third World Third World countries tion traditional society underdeveloped countries Western social science Western sociology York