Human Development in Cultural Context : A Third World Perspective (Cross Cultural Research and Methodology)

Rating:
Summary: A Students Perspective on "A Third World Perspective"
Review: I found Bame Nsamenangs book titled, Human development in cultural context: A third world perspective, intriguing, yet too "intellectual." In this book, Nsamenang reports his studies on the culture of (West) Africa from a standpoint of the development of a child in a collectivist culture. As (West)Africa is a collectivist culture, where they place more emphasis on the group rather than on the individual, Nsamenang seeks to explain the influences on the individual though the various aspects of life. More specifically, he focuses on the historical, environmental, and social aspects that affect the development of the "self" in the culture. For example, Nsamenang states that, "although individuals, particularly children, are submerged in a network of social scripts and status rules that demand conformity and promote collectivism, they are not overly subdued by a herd mentality." As his book is directed more towards scholars in the field of social science, I feel that this book is written at a level that is above "average intelligence." Nsamenang uses words that are not sensitive to the "general" reader. I found myself looking up words simply because they were not in my mental dictionary or they were words that typically are not used in our culture compared to that of West Africa. However, because I am not an expert in the field of social science I don't fault Nsamenang for the position he took in writing this text. His studies were done in Cameroon, so it is evident that he would know more of what he is talking about than would I.

Rating:
Summary: A Students Perspective on "A Third World Perspective"
Review: I found Bame Nsamenangs book titled, Human development in cultural context: A third world perspective, intriguing, yet too "intellectual." In this book, Nsamenang reports his studies on the culture of (West) Africa from a standpoint of the development of a child in a collectivist culture. As (West)Africa is a collectivist culture, where they place more emphasis on the group rather than on the individual, Nsamenang seeks to explain the influences on the individual though the various aspects of life. More specifically, he focuses on the historical, environmental, and social aspects that affect the development of the "self" in the culture. For example, Nsamenang states that, "although individuals, particularly children, are submerged in a network of social scripts and status rules that demand conformity and promote collectivism, they are not overly subdued by a herd mentality." As his book is directed more towards scholars in the field of social science, I feel that this book is written at a level that is above "average intelligence." Nsamenang uses words that are not sensitive to the "general" reader. I found myself looking up words simply because they were not in my mental dictionary or they were words that typically are not used in our culture compared to that of West Africa. However, because I am not an expert in the field of social science I don't fault Nsamenang for the position he took in writing this text. His studies were done in Cameroon, so it is evident that he would know more of what he is talking about than would I.