ABSTRACT
This chapter examines ways of seeing the centre and the margin, especially as they concern the third world and cultural imperialism. It offers alternatives to simple oppositions it goes on to look at issues of gender—female/male distinctions remain a cross-cultural core/periphery demarcation. Core/periphery theory suggests a usefulness, within each particular sphere, for distinctions of have and have-not. It addresses the issue that nations, communities, individuals are linked by relationships of power and dependency which vary according to the specific circumstances of the situation considered. There is no doubting the relevance of certain places to people’s lives. At the neighbourhood level, the community focuses its common life upon certain buildings and services. At a state level, policy formation and decision-making centre on the capital city—other areas of the state become peripheral, linked to the core via communication technologies.
