Early Feminist Development
Theory: early 1970s
Assumed that increasing gender equality would
follow the same path as North American women.
Advocated the entry of women into the labour
market as the major means of improving women’s
status.
Assumed that male/female relations were the same
world-wide: ‘traditional’, rural women were the same
as North American women, but more exploited and
victimized.
Was ethnocentric
Example: the fish-smokers of Guinea-Bissau
‘Traditional’ reciprocal relations between fishermen and
women traders were broken up through a women’s coop, which failed because it could no longer get fish to
smoke and market.
Dependency Theory: 70s and 80s
Inversion of Modernization Theory
– Underdevelopment was the historical result of the
relations between northern Europe, North
America and the rest of the world.
– Underdevelopment was NOT therefore a result of
neglect, but the result of the assymetrical
relations that had emerged between the West and
the Rest through, e.g. colonialism.
– There have been interlinkages between modern
and traditional societies, and between modern
and traditional sectors of ‘Third World’ countries.
Believes that the nature of these
interlinkages has been exploitative.
Andre Gunder Frank and Dependent
Development
– World characterized by a single economic system since about
1600 A.D.
– Argued that ‘traditional’ societies were not ones that had not b een
touched by ‘modernization’. Rather, they had been rendered
‘traditional’, ‘rural’, and ‘poor’ through the nature of the inc orporation into
a world economy.
– Critique of dualistic theory which held that there was a separat ion
in ‘Third World’ countries between the modern and traditional
sectors, between urban and rural areas.
– Relations between parts of this world economic s ystem were
characterized by metropolis/satellite relations.
– At each node in the relationship, there was a transfer of ‘value ’, or
surplus.
– This was referred to as ‘unequal exchange’, which could include
transfers due to differences in productivity or transfers where
there were similarities in productivity.
– Both involved drains of surplus from the satellite to the core a rea.
Wallerstein and World Systems
Agrees with Frank that there has been a
single world economy since about 1600.
Defines capitalism as the production for
sale in the market.
Organized through states: strong states
are able to manipulate and control their
positions in the world economy.
Three positions in the world economy:
core, periphery and semi- periphery.
Core, Periphery and Semiperiphery
Core areas emerge through a series of historical accidents, but
require a ‘strong’ state to promote the interests of their natio nal
enterprises. Once determined, it becomes difficult to change
positions.
At first, strong states erect trade barriers to protect their ow n
industries, later they move to expansion and internationaliztion.
Core states are maintained through:
– Strong military
– Commitment of cadres to maintaining the system as a whole.
– Role of the semi -periphery is to maintain the system; if the world was
polarized solely into cores and peripheries, then more frequent revolts
would happen.
– Sees communist revolutions in Russia and China as due primarily to
their respective states opting out of the world system temporari ly, in
order to improve their position in the world economy.
Questions for Wallerstein
How do core states come into being?
How does the relationship between core
and peripheral states change?
What about trade and economic
interlinkages prior to 1600? Is he not being
somewhat Eurocentric? E.g. India, China
trade from 1200-1300 A.D.
Case Study of Dependency
Trade
Trade triangles
triangles since
since 1600:
1600:
Sugar
Sugar Production
Production and
and the
the Emergence
Emergence of
of the
the Plantation
Plantation System
System
Sugar
Sugar domesticated
domesticated ff irst
irst in
in New
New Guinea,
Guinea, then
then spread
spread to
to India
India and
and Philippines.
Philippines.
Arab
Arab merchants
merchants and
and colonists
colonists then
then diffused
diffused its
its technology
technology to
to the
the Mediterranean.
Mediterranean.
First
First experiments
experiments in
in sugar
sugar plantations
plantations were
were in
in the
the Atlantic
Atlantic isla
islands
nds by
by the
the Portuguese.
Portuguese.
Portugal
Portugal and
and Spain
Spain created
created ff irst
irst sugar
sugar plantations
plantations in
in the
the New
New Wo
World,
rld, c.
c. 1550.
1550.
By
By 1650,
1650, England
England and
and France
France dominated
dominated the
the production
production of
of sugar
sugar in
in the
the world
world through
through their
their Caribbean
Caribbean
plantations.
plantations.
Emerging
Emerging Trade
Trade Triangles
Triangles
Trade
Trade Triangle
Triangle 1:
1: Slav
Slav es
es ff rom
rom Af
Af rica,
rica, Sugar
Sugar ff rom
rom the
the Caribbean
Caribbean aand
nd manuf
manuf actured
actured goods
goods ff rom
rom Britain.
Britain.
Trade
Trade Triangle
Triangle 2:
2: Rum
Rum to
to Af
Af rica,
rica, slav
slav es
es to
to the
the Caribbean,
Caribbean, molass
molasses
es to
to the
the Americas,
Americas, from
from where
where rum
rum
was
was produced.
produced.
Walter
Walter Rodney:
Rodney: prof
prof its
its from
from the
the trade
trade triangles
triangles were
were held
held in
in Bri
British
tish banks,
banks, the
the interest
interest on
on which
which ff inanced
inanced
England’s
England’s industrial
industrial rev
rev olutions.
olutions.
Control
ov
er
this
trade,
ensuring
that
prof
its
would
accrue
to
g
ov
ernment
mercantile
f
irms
and,
to
Control ov er this trade, ensuring that prof its would accrue to g ov ernment mercantile f irms and, to aa
lesser
lesser extent,
extent, Caribbean
Caribbean plantation
plantation owners,
owners, exercised
exercised at
at all
all lev
lev els
els by
by the
the British
British gov
gov ernment
ernment and
and
backed
backed up
up by
by military,
military, especially
especially nav
nav al
al ff orce.
orce.
Characteristics
Characteristics of
of the
the Plantation
Plantation System
System
Agro
Agro--industrial:
industrial: Combination
Combination of
of aa large
large ff arm
arm plus
plus sugar
sugar mill
mill and
and aa bo
boiling
iling house
house to
to extract
extract and
and cry
cry stallize
stallize
the
the sugar.
sugar.
Div
Div ision
ision of
of labour
labour by
by skill,
skill, age
age and
and gender.
gender.
Strict
Strict discipline
discipline an
an important
important ff eature
eature due
due to
to the
the importance
importance of
of timing
timing and
and the
the perishability
perishability of
of the
the crop.
crop.
After
After 1650,
1650, labour
labour was
was prov
prov ided
ided almost
almost entirely
entirely by
by slav
slav es
es import
imported
ed from
from Af
Af rica.
rica.