DEVELOPMENT THEORIES: FROM MODERNIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION AND IT’S IMPACT ON AFRICA

Nduonofit, Larry-love Effiong and Udochu, Eke

Department of Sociology, University of Port Harcourt

School of General Studies, Michael Okpara, University of Agriculture, Umudike

E-mail: aminoacid395@yahoo.com, ek­_boy4good@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Development theories are all focused especially on the development of Africa. Changing times and tides show that it is now a global world, perhaps, village. The thrust of modernization theory is just about Africa supplanting her values and norms with modern ones so as to leap-frog, perhaps to the age of “high mass consumption”. Thus, dependency theory however stands as a contradiction to modernization theory and emphasizes the underdevelopment of Africa on the basis of her social relations with the West. Thus, the work is particularly focused on the impact of the new age on Africa’s development. The work questions the era or stage of imperialism, and argues that globalization as the highest stage of imperialism is particularly concern with further undermining the development of Africa. It is thus concluded here that Africa as a matter of fact must re-evaluate and re-assess her social cum economic relationship with the West in this new age, even as globalization advances to a full moon before she loses her soul as well as her spirit.

Keywords: Globalization, Modernization, Dependency, Capitalism, Colonialism, Underdevelopment, Development, Africa.