A Cultural Approach to Postcolonial Development: Social Ethical Perspectives on the Example of Nigeria

Non-Technical Summary: Because culture is difficult to measure in terms of its importance for development, it is still radically underestimated. It is, however, a key to postcolonial emancipation, ecological sustainability and social integration. Religion has been and continues to be a central dimension in this process, but one that is sometimes highly ambivalent in its impact. Power conflicts, cultural oblivion, ecological ignorance and social exclusion inhibit the overcoming of poverty in many countries of the Global South. Against this background, the following essay sketches pragmatically problem-oriented, i.e., ex negativo perspectives of postcolonial development, taking Nigeria as an example. The focus is on the postulate of integrating indigenous knowledge into development concepts, without which the claim of participatory and holistic development cannot be credibly advocated today. Technical Summary: The use of the word “postcolonial” in the context of development ideas is a critical indication of the need to rethink the development approaches of recent decades and evaluate them in light of the concrete experiences they have provided. There is a need for a critical revision of the patterns that have guided development relations between the Global North and South. This essay reflects on the achievements, problems, ambivalences, and further possibilities observable in the Global South, particularly in Nigeria, that have given rise to this intercultural dialogue. The chrono-, geo-, and civic-concepts of development that have dominated the last five decades are still operative. In the 21st century, reshaping and revising these concepts with a focus on integral and sustainable development and issues of cultural identity have become inevitable. The following questions arise: what were the goals and perspectives that accompanied the first conceptions of a postcolonial development model? What problems and ambivalences have shaped and reshaped new approaches to the model? Where does the need for reorientation lie, and might there be a need for some form of indigenous approach to development? The article discusses these points not against the backdrop of a failed Nigeria but, following the opinion of well-meaning African scholars, with an eye toward a country and continent where efforts are underway to restore political inclusion and the rule of law and to address various conflict situations. The goal is to use “indigenous initiatives and processes” to “address modern challenges”. This approach is promoted by the concept of holistic human development of Catholic social teaching. Social Media Summary: The paper presents a postcolonial approach to development theory using the example of the integration of indigenous knowledge and experiences of Igbo culture in Nigeria and the concept of integral development of Catholic social teaching.