American dependency model, the guyanese marxist historian walter rodney. Dependency theory is the notion that resources flow from a periphery of poor and underdeveloped states to a core of wealthy states, enriching the latter at the expense of the former. A large argument opposing the dependency theory is the subjectivity in the theory and the terms that are often used. Slavery as institution, as epoch, as mode of production acquires its significance in the formulation from an awareness of the implications of inequality and dependence in the modern world.
In 1960, he won another scholarship to study at the university of the west indies in continue reading. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped africa. Dependency theorists and their view that development in the north takes place at the expense of development in the south. The author therefore shows that if europeans contributed.
His most prolific work, how europe underdeveloped africa made him both famous and controversial. The time period of his study extends from 1500 to the period of decolonization of the 1960s. The dependency theory of development explores the nature of economic interaction between developing and developed nations and holds that many of the obstacles to the third world development did not in fact, originate in the developing countries themselves, but. In the book, rodney asserts that development in human society is a many sided process. In evaluating walter rodney one characteristic stands out.
Dependency theorists and their view that development in. In 1960, he won another scholarship to study at the university of the west. Walter rodney was one of the most brilliant black minds of the 20th century. Olukoshi director, africa and west asia, international idea, distinguished visiting professor, university of johannesburg by maria dyveke styve professor adebayo olukoshi emphasises the relevance of dependency theory today in. The african dependency theory walter rodney the roots. The theory does not explain the relevance of the situation of the new international division of labor. Walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped africa is a major contribution to african historiography. Dependency and worldsystems perspectives on development. Dependency theorists and their view that development in the. Both dependency and worldsystems theories were very influential among radical development theorists from the late 1960s onwards.
The dependency theory offers a very interesting and penetrating analysis of politics in the underdeveloped countries and also of the nature and scope of relations between them and the developed countries. Dependency and underdevelopment in africa is our main thrust which we try to relate the above to the nigerian context. Pdf dependency theory and africas underdevelopment. He completed his bachelors degree from the university college of the west indies ucwi in jamaica, graduating in 1963 with a firstclass degree in history, thereby winning the faculty of arts prize. The dependency theory has been criticized for a number of reasons. Why the concern about the quantity and nature of informa tion flow into the country. Donor aid has emerged as a nuanced form of dependency on western countries.
Walter rodney s concept of development it is in his best celebrated bookhow europe underdeveloped africa thatwalter rodney pours his heart out on the meaning of development. The electronic colonialism theory acknowledges that foreign produced communication materials negatively influence local values and indigenous media. Despite ideas of exploitation being akin to conspiracy theories in some quarters, there are good reasons not to drop dependency theory. The political economy of africa and dependency theory. It delves into the past only because otherwise it would be impossible to understand how the present came into being and what the trends are for the near future. Dependency theory firstly introduced by raul prebisch in 1950s was considered as the progressive model about development and underdevelopment.
Walter rodney was a prolific scholar who received a scholarship to study at queens college. Amin, who died on august 12th at the age of 86, is wellknown as a dependency theorist and advocate of a multipolar world. Dependency theory, dependency theory, a concept that emerged from latin american intellectual centers in the early 1960s as a critique of the development programs then international monetary system, the international monetary fund imf is an organization of nations that helps shape economic policies related to international trade, debt. Explaining underdevelopment in east africa in the postindependence period a countryanalysis of kenya and ethiopia martina petkova masters thesis politics international politics topic. Jun 27, 2012 by nigel westmaas pambazuka news, june 14, 2012.
Much of agfs work is steeped in marxist revolutionary language. Rodney attended queen s college, in guyana, and graduated first in his class in 1960, winning an open scholarship to the university of the west indies uwi. Underdevelopment is a condition fundamentally different from undevelopment. There are a number of propositions, all of which are contestable, which form the core of dependency theory. Dependency theorists, or dependentistas, are a group of thinkers in the neomarxist tradition mostly from latin america, who coined the term dependency development in the late 1960s and the 1970s as a. Dependency theory is a body of social science theories, both from developed and developing nations that creates a world view which suggests that poor underdeveloped states of the periphery are exploited by wealthy developed nations of the center in order to sustain economic growth and remain wealthy.
Every now and then in history a scholarly enterprise emerges that breaks new ground and provokes an impact that exceeds the confines of narrow academia. Rodneys wideranging account draws upon latin american dependency theory, examples of the diverse forms of social organization and economic activity in precolonial africa, and histories of the slave trade and colonialism to argue that african economies are integrated into the very structure of the developed capitalist economies. The book provides evidence of how capitalism inspired subjugationism is historically the common denominator for old imperialismnew imperialismpost imperialism. Samir amin, dependency theory, and the multipolar world. This view contradicts the view of walter rodney and other dependency scholars who. Dependency theory has been much criticized, mostly from the orthodox marxists, for being stagnant and not being theorized in the spirit of marx. Vincent ferraro, mount holyoke college south hadley, ma july 1996 background dependency theory developed in the late 1950s under the guidance of the director of the united nations economic commission for latin america, raul prebisch. This theory gave us a line to grasp the implication of cultural dependency on dependents culture. Development politics publish your bachelors or masters thesis. Influential writers included andre gunder frank, fernando henrique cardoso, theotonio dos santos, walter rodney, samir amin, arghiri emmanuel, and immanuel wallerstein.
Rodney whose book, how europe underdeveloped africa, resonated. He won a government scholarship that enabled him to enter queens college, then the leading secondary educational institution in the colony. Most of the dependency theorists use the centreperiphery paradigm for this purpose. It is against this backdrop this paper examines and critiques walter rodneys concept of development. Walter rodney and the dependency theory of inequality. His book how europe underdeveloped africa 1972 has found world wide circulation. More importantly the theory explains that development does not occur in isolation, but a number of internal and external factors condition it. Walter rodneys classic how europe underdeveloped africa 1972 is certainly worth reading. The answer to this question will be found in the implications of this over dependency on foreign. How europe underdeveloped africa abahlali basemjondolo.
Walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped africa ikhideros. Walter rodneys book has provided us in exactly three hundred. Like john bellamy foster, i agree with this theory despite seeming evidence to the contrary such as brazil in the 1960s and china today. Walter rodney 1973 preface this book derives from a concern with the contemporary african situation. Critics of dependency theory social science theories. Programmed transition to neocolonial dependence, kwame nkrumah, and walter. It also explains the fact that cul tural dependency or over dependency will invariably lead to a situation where the dependents unconsciously becomes willing slaves to their masters. This article aims to bring the category of primitive accumulation into the vocabulary of critical and marxist international legal theory. Rodney s wideranging account draws upon latin american dependency theory, examples of the diverse forms of social organization and economic activity in precolonial africa, and histories of the slave trade and colonialism to argue that african economies are integrated into the very structure of the developed capitalist economies. Jun, 2012 walter anthony rodney was a prominent guyanese historian, political activist and scholar his book, how europe underdeveloped africa, published in 1972. The theory of dependency, as it was developed in the sixties, questioned the conventional assumptions and heralded a completely new conceptual argument. Igwe stanley chinedu, 2010, how africa underdeveloped africa. Dependency as we all know is a product of underdevelopment which is prevalent in africa in general and nigeria in particular.
Pseudointellectualism of the dependency theorist made manifest in the walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped african to igwe and ghanaian chronicles how africa underdeveloped africa and finally, opeagbes how nigeria underdeveloped nigeria. The traditional statecontrol approach to markets in latin america before the late1990s was greatly influenced by what was known as dependencia, or dependency theory. Ndlovugatsheni underscores that walter rodney, like several other dependency theorists, popularised and expanded on dependency theory by using the african example in his book how europe underdeveloped africa. First proposed in the late 1950s by the argentine economist and statesman raul prebisch, dependency theory gained prominence in the 1960s and 70s. It is a central contention of dependency theory that poor states are impoverished and rich ones enriched by the way p. Immanuel wallerstein stephen walt kenneth waltz alexander wendt. Dependency theories have provided an alternative approach to looking at unilinear growth models. Walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped africa libcom. Donor aid has emerged as a nuanced form of dependency. She writes how he was influenced by marxist ideas and remains central to the panafricanist canon for many on the left. This might seem very radical to some modern irish readers. Walter rodney 1973 how europe underdeveloped africa.
Rodney, walter march 23, 1942june, 1980 walter rodney 1, whose father was a tailor and whose mother was a homemaker, was born in georgetown, guyana. Walter rodneys belief that the underdevelopment of africa was caused by european colonialism and capitalism is supported by the dependency theory of global inequality. Dependency theory is the notion that resources flow from a periphery of poor and. Walter anthony rodney 23 march 1942 june 1980 was a prominent guyanese historian, political activist and academic. Walter rodney was born in guyana on march 23, 1942. Amin was a leading proponent of dependency analysis and world systems theory, which gained prominence during the 1970s among left organisations, insurgent academics and public intellectuals. Is the dependency theory relevant in the world development today. As might have been expected, there has been a flurry of vitriolic attacks on samir amin from facebook friends who share my views on syria and ukraine. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of walter rodney s how europe underdeveloped africa. Dependency theory with the discussion among many theorists have analyzed thoroughly, about relationships. Donor aid has emerged as a symbol of dependency, supporting the argument on the relevance of dependency theory. In the final blog for, writer and activist lee wengraf celebrates walter rodney, the scholar, working class militant and revolutionary from guyana who was murdered 37 years ago this week.
Pseudointellectualism of the dependency theorist made manifest in the walter rodneys how europe. Walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped africa louis. One would assume that he was following walter rodneys assertion that. One of his main arguments throughout the book is that africa developed europe at the same rate as europe underdeveloped africa. Guyanese historian walter rodney offered a strong criticism of the impact of. Dependency theory, an approach to understanding economic underdevelopment that emphasizes the putative constraints imposed by the global political and economic order. Introduction dependency theory, as a theory that purports to explain the related conditions of economic development and the lack of, and evident need for it, in the countries of the periphery, or third worlda condition that some dependistas theorists of dependency refer to as underdevelopmenthas. Marxist walter rodney, in his book how europe underdeveloped. Colonists actively sought to stop any african industrialization by paying low prices and wages and corrupting the education system and government in many nations.
He is recognized as one of the caribbean s most brilliant minds. In his book, how europe underdeveloped africa, walter rodney explains how the dependency theory led to the current underdevelopment in most parts of the continent of africa. And, as most of the former colonies belong today to the underdeveloped countries of the third world, we are confronted with the question as to what importance the. Aug 17, 2017 rodneys wideranging account draws upon latin american dependency theory, examples of the diverse forms of social organization and economic activity in precolonial africa, and histories of the slave trade and colonialism to argue that african economies are integrated into the very structure of the developed capitalist economies. Pseudointellectualism of the dependency theorist made manifest in the walter rodney s how europe. Recently, there has been a clarion to a paradigm shift from the pseudointellectualism of the dependency theorist made manifest in the walter rodney s how europe underdeveloped african to igwe. What we have as theories of development are quantitative. It is not coincidence that most black students have never heard of him. The dependency theory, introduced by raul prebisch in the late 1950s, is an economic concept that identifies a financial dependence between the rich and the poor nations. Worlds such as developed and underdeveloped that construct the argument of dependency theory are subjective and different people will view these different terms in different lights. Walter rodney s belief that the underdevelopment of africa was caused by european colonialism and capitalism is supported by the dependency theory of global inequality. Dependency defines a situation in which the policy or life of a state and its citizens are exploitatively determined by an outside power or powers, usually through the.
He was a scholar who recognized no distinction between academic concerns and service to society, between science and social commitment. Development and underdevelopment in the third world. The latter term simply refers to a condition in which resources are not being used. Dependency theory wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. It was andre gunder frank, the germanamerican professor who spent time as a consultant during the administration of salvador allende in chile. Home accounting dictionary what is the dependency theory. Drc, in the context of a binary process of economic development and underdevelopment, signifying that one party develops on behalf of another. That walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped africa still reads cogently after almost 50 years has more to do with how little things have changed rather than with any prophetic quality of the. Walter rodney s work how europe underdeveloped africa is an empirical investigation of the relationship between africa and western europe. How europe underdeveloped africa is a 1972 book written by walter rodney that takes the view that africa was deliberately exploited and underdeveloped by european colonial regimes. Sep 19, 2008 it would eventually serve as the core of what became known as dependency theory, a debate over which began to rage in the 1970s and persists until today. How europe underdeveloped africa rodney alludes to slavery and colonization as the bane of development in africa. Walter anthony rodney was born in georgetown, guyana on march 23, 1942.
Colonialism, underdevelopment and the invaluable value of the historic debt. The persisting relevance of walter rodneys how europe. It is a central contention of dependency theory that poor states are impoverished and rich ones enriched by the way poor states are integrated into the world system. Walter rodney was a scholar, working class militant and. Walter rodney guyana in evaluating these two concepts and relating them one to the other, the prior emphasis must necessarily be on underdevelopment. Written in 1973, walter rodneys how europe underdeveloped africa is one of the few marxist. That walter rodney s how europe underdeveloped africa still reads cogently after almost 50 years has more to do with how little things have changed rather than with any prophetic quality of the. His name is rarely mentioned along other members of the civil rights movements, or on the african continent itself. Walter anthony rodney was a prominent guyanese historian, political activist and scholar his book, how europe underdeveloped africa, published in 1972. They have critically evaluated the continued unequal relationships between countries, which have their history partly in colonialism and imperialism.
Rodneys book had a huge impact on the left back then and even inspired a similar treatment in manning marables 1983 how capitalism underdeveloped black america. I want to wrap up the discussion on dependency theory by referring to a jewel that i stumbled across on the marxism internet archives a week or so ago. While the dependency theories have provided a welcome critique from the south about the north, they. Walter rodney spares not a word covering the four centuries of slavery and one century of colonization in africa, but rightly starts with the history of africa, speaking of prosperous societies, plundered by slavery and colonization and deprived of a chance to grow, but instead continuously underdeveloped. Written in 1973, walter rodney s how europe underdeveloped africa is one of the few marxist books that i read while in the socialist workers party that did not have the imprimatur of pathfinder press. Oct 28, 2008 posted originally to the introduction to marxism mailing list on yahoo.
1165 771 992 629 479 873 1021 446 590 358 253 1136 628 859 1514 1312 383 1201 14 1082 581 381 1127 1200 364 464 279 199 1177 106 142 1330