Book Review: "The Central Liberal Truth: How Politics Can Change A Culture And Save It From Itself" by Lawrence E. Harrison (2007)

Based on a research project which stems from the landmark Culture Matters (co-edited with Samuel Huntington), Lawrence Harrison takes a look the role that certain attitudes, values and traditions play in the success, or lack thereof, of various societies around the world.

To take three examples, he demonstrates that the lack of respect for punctuality in certain Latin American and Caribbean countries, the predominance of voodoo as a belief system in Haiti and some parts of Africa, and the suspicion of wealth as promoted by the Roman Catholic church have hampered the development of certain peoples. Conversely, he takes a look at more dynamic places like Japan, the Nordic countries and Botswana and explores the factors which have contributed to their progress.

There are two central underlying arguments which inform Harrison's work: first, some cultures are superior to others when viewed through the lens of economic progress. Second, marking a ballot is much simpler than is changing long-held attitudes about the role of women, literacy, and community relations. In so doing, Harrison condemns both neo-conservatives and cultural relativists along with their cousins in the international development community, concluding that harmful cultural practices need to be identified and frankly discussed if either project is to be successful.

A word of criticism, however, for the title. Harrison's argument implies that changing cultures is a long, arduous process that takes at least one generation. Outside of a couple of examples - for instance, the case of Nelson Mandela in South Africa - he seems highly skeptical of the ability of politicians to change deep-seated practices, and so I think that the second half of the title of "The Central Liberal Truth" is a misnomer. He does insist, though, that successful cultural shifts towards education, property ownership, and a Judeo-Protestant-Confucianist ethic as it concerns democratic capitalism must be from the bottom up if it is to work. Personally, I don't think that the elites in both Western and non-Western societies are politically mature enough for this debate, but it's refreshing to find an academic who isn't worried about offending but rather, tells the truth - many aspects of progress-impeding cultures simply aren't deserving of affirmation and instead, should be denounced outright.

Overall rating: 7.75/10