Decolonisation, modernisation and nation-building: political development theory and the appeal of Communism in Southeast Asia, 1945-1975.

Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, October, 2003 by Berger, Mark T.

Introduction: ideologies of Western dominance and ideologies of modernisation

Michael Adas, in his important study of 'ideologies of Western dominance', questions the idea that the influential theories of modernisation that emerged during the late colonial and early Cold War periods were 'primarily' new concepts created to 'counter the appeal of Communism' in the 'underdeveloped world'. In his view, although the theories of modernisation of the Cold War era were 'recast in development jargon', they were grounded in ideas which were 'deeply rooted' in the 'historical experience' of Western Europe and North America. (1) Michael E. Latham's innovative examination of 'ideologies of modernisation' parallels Adas and concludes that, contrary to the arguments of...

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