Manuel Castells and Development Sundeep Sahay Castells Triology

Manuel Castells and Development Sundeep Sahay

Castell’s Triology • Develops a “grand narrative of the present” where the entire planet is capitalist • Volume I - The Network society - outlines basic tenets of a “network society” • Volume II - The Power of Identity - outlines various processes of social change • Volume III - End of Millennium - processes of historical transformation

Defining Development I define development as the self‐defined process – self is important – by which humans, as a collective, enhance their wellbeing by creating the structural conditions for the expanded reproduction of the process of development itself, so enhancing their wellbeing and, at the same time, creating the structural conditions for this process to go on (more than words, leads to differentiation).

Key Thesis • Ongoing historical transformation, «informational capitalism» planet capitalist • Multidimensional transformation • It has elements of both the old and new • Old: pursuit for profit remains relentless • New capitalism - global and informational • New: Tooled fundamentally by ICTs: – New productivity sources – New organizational forms – Construction of a global economy

Theoretical assumptions • Dialectical interaction of social relations (modes of production) and technological innovation (modes of development) • Social groups define identity shapes society (unlike Marxist view of identity as effect) • Production-Development dialectic • Relation between IT-Globalization-Social Development • Challenged by social movements based on cultural singularity affirming identity

Modes of Production • Social relationship of the production process, class relations • Capitalist systems and institutions embody certain social relationships • Institutions for creation of surplus and regulation of distribution • Driven by a capitalist logic

Modes of Development • Technological arrangements to convert labor into a product • The dominant mechanism for this conversion is informational • Driven by a logic of its own- interface between science, technology and how organizations incorporate new knowledge

Inclusion and Exclusion • Networks enable linkages with values and interests those seen as valuable • While disconnecting all not valuable • Networks thus have capacity to simultaneously include and exclude • «in the past colonization took place by going to other lands. Now colonization will take place by not going»

What is an Informational Network • • Network is a set of interconnected nodes It may have a hierarchy, but it has no centre Relationship amongst nodes is assymetrical Network requires all nodes to function – for circulation of money, information, technology, goods, services, people, ideas • While networks adapt and mutate, people cant easily – leads to underdevelopment • From HISP «networks of action»

Informational networks & development • Use ICTs and knowledge to reverse the downward spiral of exclusion • Aim is the reintegration of social development and economic growth based on massive technological upgrading, a focus on fostering innovation • Needs overhaul of the educational system, building networks around science and technology

Three pillars of Castells’ thesis • Technological innovation • Organizational transformation • Globalization

Technological inovation • ICTs not cause of changes, but without it the changes being experienced not possible • Information - raw material also outcome, and ICTs become all pervasive • ICTs enable networking logic, convergence, and heightened complexity • Example genetic engineering – ICTs enable unpacking of genes, and better understanding of the human body

ICTs a double edged sword • Allows countries to leapfrog development stages, by modernizing systems • Capacities are needed for this, which is not available to all, historical assymetries • Silicon valleys contribute to brain drain • Left to market forces, social life gets polarized, eg exclusion of non-IT people

Organizational transformation • • Network basic form of social structure Social interactions take place in a “networking logic” Example stock exchange Not restricted to financial systems Networks not new, informational basis is Networks allow flexibility, decentralization Challenge is of coordination, creating common purpose – network of networks

Network Society - Characteristics • Represents a structural transformation (production, power and experience) • Social processes organized around networks • Studying the logic of these networks • Logic based on the “power of flows” rather than “flows of power” (the “flow society”) • Social morphology dominates social action

Globalization • Globalization new historical reality, involved with capitalist restructuring, innovation enabled through ICTs • While globalization is multidimensional, econimic dimension is key • Global financial markets: defining institution • Extreme centralization: leading Science and technology centres in few dozen hubs • People not global – «dialectics of the net and the self»

Varying Perspectives on Globalization • The radicals versus the skeptics • “The position of developing countries within the global economy is going to get worse” (the skeptic view) • Instant global telecomm and computer networks will overthrow ancient tyrannies of time and space

Characteristics of globalization • • Growing individualization of labour Overexploitation of labour Social exclusion of certain groups Perverse integration – labour process in the criminal economy

“Space of flows” • Global networks, comprising of: • Technology (infrastructure) places (hubs and nodes), and managerial elite • Topology defines inclusion/exclusion and also intensity of interactions • Space of flows defined by – timeless time – placeless space

Place and Space • • • Organizations are based in places Organizational logic is “placeless” Depend on space of flows of information networks Increasing complexity of networks, more place-independent “Structural schizophrenia”

The notion of “flows” • • Material basis of society defined by “flows” Flows of information asymmetric, power-ridden “Power of flows” more important than “flows of power” Flows of - finance, information, technology, and images

Space of Flows • • • Space brings together practices in time “Space of flows” - versus “Space of places” (physical space) Organization located in places, logic “placeless” Megacities - simultaneously globally connected and locally disconnected

Power • • Not in institutions Located in networks Lies in codes of information Three kinds of dichotomies – net and the self – timeless time and placeless self – inclusion and exclusion

Counter Networks • Network society assumes that we can all «plug in and play» • But all cannot, historical assymetries in resources, infrastructure, capacities • Need then is to try and establish «counter networks» – which take into design these existing assymetries (eg Mosse and Sahay)

Marginalization • Deals with exclusion, absence, differentiation, fragmentation, dropping out • Economic, social, political or cultural exclusion • Homogenization versus diversity • Technology access both a cause and effect of marginalization

Questions of Determinism • • • Relation between II and society Technological determinism Social determinism “Hard” and “soft” determinism Symptomatic technology Continuist, transformationist and structuralist

Key Questions • Interaction between processes of globalization, marginalization and II • Role of trust, risk, power, control, communication, learning etc in shaping these interactions • How infrastructures redefines these different notions • How globalization, marginalization - both shape, and are shaped by Infrastructures