Development, learning-processes and institutionalized racism

This article concentrates on problems of native peoples in the context of t echnical change moulded by institutionalized racism. External specialists a re often imparted to developing countries in order to introduce advanced te chnology as well as to organize and run the administration. Native workers are presumed to gain know-how from work experience and take over management and professional jobs gradually as they learn from the foreign professiona ls. However, this strategy may suffer from conflicts between the foreign pr ofessionals and natives due to different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. L earning processes are undermined by these conflicts creating mistrust and l ack of confidence. These conflicts often develop into institutionalized rac ism involving organized forms of exclusion such as overvaluation of formal education as opposed to native knowledge. The result is permanent reproduct ion of the need for imported specialized labour and 'destructive forgetting ' of local culture.