Global Development? Alternative Voices from Delhi

Global political development alternatives to the dominant Western paradigm are examined in an analysis of the work of two academics from the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in Delhi, India: Rajni Kothari & Ashis Nandy. Since its establishment in 1963, the center has been committed to critical analysis of capitalist developments in the West & an emphasis on popular culture & folk tradition. Both Kothari & Nandy address the homogenizing threat of centralized power. However, Kothari grants that the modern state must retain a certain degree of power because of the dangers that unregulated society would place on the poor & powerless. While Kothari calls for a humanized & more democratic form of modern liberal democracy, Nandy claims that culture must supersede the nation-state in the modern world. This culture-oriented model depicts the state as a subordinate instrument of cultural imperatives. Although both authors emphasize the importance of culture, this emphasis is tempered by the need to protect against cultural exclusivism & ensure the legitimate voice of minority groups. T. Sevier