Micro-sociological insight to cultural transformation and national development: A study of Polaku-Gbarain People of Bayelsa State

Abstract

Over time, development has been taken a top-down approach while neglecting the importance of the micro-sociological aspects of national development. The study took a micro-sociological insight to cultural transformation and national development using Polaku-Gbarain people of Bayelsa State as a case. However, given precedence to the primacy of the impact of modernization theorists on the outright neglect of indigenous cultural practices, the study adopted an ethnomethodological approach as an analytical framework. Descriptive survey design was utilized to collect quantitative data from one hundred (n=100) respondents randomly selected using questionnaire instrument complemented by focus group discussions (FGDs) and non-participant observation. Using SPSS 17.0 version, frequency distribution tables and simple percentages were used as statistical tool of analysis. Findings revealed that the encouragement of indigenous technology by those concerned or encouraging bottom-top approach to national development was still low. The study therefore concluded that to bring about national development, concerted effort that will bring about integration of some of the indigenous cultural practices especially in the area of indigenous technology and westernized cultural practices should be encouraged, while those that seem detrimental to development in the country should be discarded through education and enlightenment, poverty alleviation programmes and provision of infrastructural facilities to all communities.

Keywords: Indigenous practices, Cultural transformation, National development