Re-Centering Culture in Development Administration in Africa: Remedies for Nigeria

Culture And Development Administration: A Conceptual Framework

Defining culture is a herculean task for most scholars. This is due partly to the elusive nature of the concept in both theory and practice. At the same time, while generic conceptualizations abound, operationalizing culture into measurable variables remains a challenge in several respects (Keating, 2008). Nonetheless, attempts to define and operationalize culture continue. According to Hall (1997, p. 18), culture refers to peoples “shared meanings or shared conceptual maps.” In this wise, Hall (1997) argues the interactions of different individuals, groups and various societies are mostly constructed around their shared interpretations, ideas, and knowledge of certain things and events. Along this line, Wedeen (2003, p. 213) defines culture as “semiotic practices.” For Wedeen, conceptualizing culture as “semiotic practices” can be understood on two levels. One, “culture as semiotic practices refer to what language and symbols do” (emphasis in original) and two, “culture as semiotic practices is also a lens” through which people engage in meaningful interactions. When put together, semiotic practices according to Wedeen often entail “meaning-making” processes within which people infuse these practices with their own understanding and interpretations of their world.