Title: Development workers as agents of cultural change
Abstract: The history of social change tracks the engagement between the forces competing for moral power and legitimacy in any given society. This volume is primarily concerned with religion as a moral force; however, this chapter shifts the focus to consider international development as one of many forces contributing to the shape of religion, power and moral order in contemporary Cambodia. By considering the role and attitudes of development workers, it is possible to gain a broader understanding of the way development may influence Cambodian culture. Interviews with practitioners in Cambodia reveal a critical openness to cultural change and a deliberate approach to shaping culture by means of development. Their attitudes to cultural change are consistent with Bhabha's (1994) notion of hybridity, whereby cultures are constantly negotiated and recreated in the face of different influences. Development workers also label culture and cultural change in ways that support their selective approach to cultural change through development.
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
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