Title: Cultural Disruption and Technological Loss: Western Influence of Indigenous Technologies
Authors: John Ilemona(Ph.D)
Volume: 10
Issue: 8
Pages: 371-379
Publication Date: 2026/08/28
Abstract:
Westernization has fundamentally altered the landscape of traditional technology in Nigeria, producing consequences that range from partial displacement and cultural depreciation to selective hybridization and market marginalisation. This article examines how prolonged exposure to Western educational systems, consumer culture, colonial administrative legacies, and global market integration has reshaped the conditions under which traditional technologies are produced, transmitted, and valued in contemporary Nigeria. Drawing on recent empirical literature across multiple sectors including textile production, agriculture, metallurgy, architecture, food processing, and medicinal knowledge the article argues that westernization has operated not as a uniform force of erasure but as an uneven and contested process that has differentially affected traditional technology systems depending on their sector, geographic location, gender dynamics, and degree of market integration. The analysis reveals three dominant patterns: outright displacement, hybridization and resilient persistence. The article situates these patterns within the broader theoretical framework of coloniality of knowledge, cultural imperialism, and endogenous development, drawing particular attention to the role of Nigerian educational institutions in reproducing Western technological hierarchies. Policy recommendations center on decolonizing Nigeria's innovation framework, strengthening intellectual property protections for traditional knowledge, and building institutional support for endangered technology traditions. The article contributes to scholarship on postcolonial development, African knowledge systems, and the political economy of technology transfer.