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Democracy at LargeMultiple Sovereignty and Transnationalism in a Nation-State: Aga Khan Development Network in Hunza, Pakistan

Democracy at Large: Multiple Sovereignty and Transnationalism in a Nation-State: Aga Khan... [Democracy and development are normally associated with the experience and conditions of Western European modernity. As mentioned in the introduction to this volume, Western powers presented democracy and its promises to the newly decolonized third world, partly to dissuade them from joining the ranks of communism and partly as a means of achieving social and economic development. In the second half of the twentieth century, democracy became part of the discourse on human rights, as access to basic necessities was termed a human rights issue that only democracy could address. It was however unclear as to how democracy was supposed to promote human development and protect people’s rights. The general ways in which we understand this connection is that democratic societies give rise to a secular public sphere, called the “civil society,” where social actors vie for power and interests and in the end reach a settlement that is beneficial for all: the invisible hand of Adam Smith, sort of. The belief in this magical power of democracy in bestowing such qualities on the public sphere are, however, not misplaced as European experience does point to this very effect of democracy in many Western liberal and social democracies. But as mentioned in the introduction of this volume, democratic experiences tend to be contextual, and what works in one context may not necessarily work in others. Despite this, we saw an increased association of democracy and development aid throughout the world in the dying years of the last century. Clearly, as anthropologists have shown, such a coupling is not only simplistic and false, it can be counterproductive and violent when implemented (Lewis, 2005; Sardon, 2005).] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

Democracy at LargeMultiple Sovereignty and Transnationalism in a Nation-State: Aga Khan Development Network in Hunza, Pakistan

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References (14)

Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan US
Copyright
© Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Nature America Inc. 2012
ISBN
978-1-349-44124-2
Pages
191 –204
DOI
10.1057/9781137032768_9
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Democracy and development are normally associated with the experience and conditions of Western European modernity. As mentioned in the introduction to this volume, Western powers presented democracy and its promises to the newly decolonized third world, partly to dissuade them from joining the ranks of communism and partly as a means of achieving social and economic development. In the second half of the twentieth century, democracy became part of the discourse on human rights, as access to basic necessities was termed a human rights issue that only democracy could address. It was however unclear as to how democracy was supposed to promote human development and protect people’s rights. The general ways in which we understand this connection is that democratic societies give rise to a secular public sphere, called the “civil society,” where social actors vie for power and interests and in the end reach a settlement that is beneficial for all: the invisible hand of Adam Smith, sort of. The belief in this magical power of democracy in bestowing such qualities on the public sphere are, however, not misplaced as European experience does point to this very effect of democracy in many Western liberal and social democracies. But as mentioned in the introduction of this volume, democratic experiences tend to be contextual, and what works in one context may not necessarily work in others. Despite this, we saw an increased association of democracy and development aid throughout the world in the dying years of the last century. Clearly, as anthropologists have shown, such a coupling is not only simplistic and false, it can be counterproductive and violent when implemented (Lewis, 2005; Sardon, 2005).]

Published: Nov 11, 2015

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