25 - 31 January 2001
Issue No.518
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 25 - 31 January 2001 Issue No.518 |
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Super-modernisation
The call to modernise Egypt ignores the fact that the concept and practice of modernisation are historically linked with the industrial revolution, which bypassed Egyptian society altogether. Each stage of social development has its own requirements, conditions and consequences. To abide by the rules of modernisation is, in effect, to go back in time. The age of modernisation is over and, for countries that have lagged too far behind, modernisation cannot possibly be sufficient now that the information revolution has been upon us for so long already. It seems somewhat silly, therefore, for scholars and commentators to stress the need for modernisation -- as has been done by choosing modernisation as the theme of this year's book fair.
What is required is super- or hyper-modernisation, no less, which would take into account the massive leaps in information and communication technologies that have occurred over the past few decades. This is principally a task for society, not the regime. Culturally speaking, society must renounce much and embrace even more, altering a good portion of its basic behavioural pattern.
Knowledge is the key word here and, insofar as knowledge is increasingly accessible, mobile and divisible, its acquisition should not present us with too much of a challenge once understanding, and hence behaviour, develop sufficiently to accommodate the concepts and practices of the current stage of human and social evolution.
Countries like Egypt need to adjust to these facts. Once the myth of modernisation is debunked, there is every reason to think change will take place. This change in the cultural constitution of society should be guided by a few general principles: creativity, which is not at all the exclusive arena of the arts; transparency, which makes life easier for everyone; and determination.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is a lecturer in archival studies at Cairo University.
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