Development as Neocolonialism : An Account of Social, Cultural, and Economic Transition in Shah Allah Ditta

Abstract

This paper makes an attempt to connect the concepts of modernity, progress, social change as concepts envisioned by development agenda of neoliberalism. It also draws on the economic agenda of neoliberalism in considering the spread of capitalism. With this framework in mind the author suggests creation of a condition of neocolonialism through economic and cultural globalization. This model suggests that cultural autonomy of indigenous cultures is compromised due to the creation of this neocolonial condition. Through an ethnographic case study of a village in Punjab, Pakistan, the author analyzes the culture, social and economic organization of the area along with patterns of hegemony, in an attempt to decipher how the neoliberal ideology is contributing to the creation of neocolonialism.