Paper short abstract:

Development is suppression of traditional sector and concentration on modern sector. Long-term development is through: Traditional, Transitional, Take-off, drives to maturity, and high mass consumption. An attempt is made to study Andre Gunder Frank’s dependency theory and economy of Chain caste.

Paper long abstract:

The Chains, a little-known community of West Bengal, belong to the scheduled caste category. The community is concentrated in Maldah, Murshidabad, Nadia and Dinajpur and also in some adjoining areas of Jharkhand and Bihar.

Development is a human-centered process, reflecting socio-political, economic and cultural values, the fulcrum on which the growth of humans in a society depends. The paper aims to make a formulative advance with existential conditions of this particular community. My focus, of course, will be to shed light on the structural heterogeneity of culture that undermines development. The socio-cultural constitution of the Chain caste with the nature of interaction forms and psycho-social interaction forms will remain a part of my endeavor, highlighting on the semiotic aspects of shared relations and culture willing to go for change for development. What is the validation of development of dualism in the Chain society? Economic, technological and regional dualism is the consequences of social dualism. In some sections of the Chain society we find a conscious suppression of the traditional elements and concentrations on "modern." Revisiting Rostow, has the Chain society all the pre-requisites of the 'take-off stage' with a drive towards maturity?

The five basic paradigms for the development of the underdevelopment of the Chains are: economic growth, employment, social justice to reduce inequality, participation as political involvement and social sharing and independence as freedom from external domination. Can Andre Gunder Frank's views of dependency theory on world system be condensed with different visions to this particular society?