Culture FOR What Culture OF Development?

For the past nine years, my passion has been promoting culture FOR development, specifically, economic development.  However, now, this formula is starting to lose its magic for me. While I still believe that it is the case, I am not sure I would like to singly follow the same trajectory that I have been taking.

While the idea is promoting a development that is more culturally based, socially considerate of specificities of localities, it still follows a development framework that is capitalistic and still pursues the western idea of material development. (To give credit to where credit is due, Alessandro first pointed this out to me) Culture has just become a resource from which products are mined and are made to fit the needs and preferences of the global market. How is it then different from the other products that have been marketed before? The only thing is, we have just expanded our market for maximum profit.

This idea was confirmed upon reading Hawkes (2001), who writes about Culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development. He says: “ “the main focus of cultural development, as a government instrument, has been economic and ‘industrial’. The main thrust has been on expanding the consumption of arts products and of arts production within an industrial model. This has had the effect of transforming culture-making into a market driven commodity consumption activity thereby marginalizing (indeed making invisible) its true function.”  (Hawkes, 2001) However, one could think that this is a very strategic move to get support for culture, as more than anything else, government policies and priorities are more economically based and driven. Hence, in order to ensure, validate and justify its place in national policies and more importantly, in national budget, the cultural sector had to demonstrate that it is an active economic contributor instead of a liability to the society.

As I develop my own ideas in this field, I try to go beyond this very simplistic view of Culture and Development. I see culture now not as a resource for development, but the basis of development. It is the blueprint by which we base the structure of our economy. In the same paper, Culture: Fourth Pillar of Sustainability, Hawkes also puts forwards this idea that development goals are based on the values, the culture of the people. And the strategies to reach these development goals are also based on these values embodied on the goals.

The prevailing development concept is based on a culture that has been shaped by centuries of capitalism, focused on economic development, based on a culture of consumption and production. The need for economic prosperity has gone beyond survival needs but is now based on a need to amass wealth to limitless heights. Nurse (2006), another author of a paper on culture as a fourth pillar of sustainability mentions Haque (1999) who echoes this view of the current culture of consumption:“…the dominant mode of development thinking that emphasizes a growth-oriented industrialization…related to this profit-driven production and growth, there is also the diffusion of consumerist values and life-styles”. (Nurse, 2006)

If we look around, though, there are now various development frameworks that has sprung forth from a different set of values, a different culture. The concept of “Decroissance,” I believe, reflects this. It is not about going against development but instead, about having a different concept, direction of Development. The philosophy of Sufficiency Economy, authored by the King of Thailand, His Royal Highness, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is based on a philosophy that stresses the “middle path” or culture of moderation combined with the values of patience, perseverance, diligence, wisdom and prudence. We can also mention Solidarity Economy where human welfare is of high value instead of the maximum profit.

And so, going deeper on the theme of Culture and Development, we must examine our culture first, that which dictates the kind of development we are aiming for. This hopefully, will lead us to real development.

Culture shapes what we mean by development and determines how people act in the world.” (Nurse, 2006)