From modernization to alternative paradigm: Development in history and ideological implications of unequal relations for the periphery

Abstract

There has long been a history of ideological contention between the ‘Core’ and the ‘Periphery’ on development framework and practice. The Core represents the highly industrialized nations of the North while the Periphery stands for the poor dependent nations of the South. Indeed, several scholars have argued that what seems to be a state of underdevelopment today in the Third World countries is firstly the consequence of unequal ideological relations and secondly the emulation of development models prescribed by the industrialized nations of the North to the detriment of the South's fertile reserve of traditional wisdom, cultural nuances, creativity and enterprise. The West, specifically the US provided a development framework to be emulated by the rest of the world. The potency of this western prescription has crumbled in the face of apparent contradictions and catastrophic economic and social results it produced for the Southern nations especially Nigeria. Consequently, there have been several frantic struggles and efforts to retrace steps and locate an alternative pathway to development since the 1970s. In view of this, using the lens of theories as an analytical tool, this paper therefore contends that development is a historically produced discourse traceable to the consolidation of the US hegemony in the period 1945-1967. This was occasioned by the need to expand the market for the US produced goods and the need to find new sites for investment of US surplus capital. The paper also unveils the implications of what this mistaken emulation of western models have caused Nigeria and suggests what can be done to avoid a national baleful and lurid destiny in future.

Key words: History, Theories, Development, Ideology. Implications, Periphery