Anthropology, Development and the Post-Modern Challenge (Anthropology, Culture and Society Series)

Through detailed case studies and the issues raised by them, Gardner and Lewis outline key social issues and problems of development, and conclude that anthropological perspectives can contribute positively to development policy and practice. Anthropology, Development and the Post-Modern Challenge 2 Contents 6 Figures 8 Preface 9 Acknowledgements 12 Glossary 13 Development Jargon 13 A 13 B 13 C 13 D 13 E 14 G 14 N 14 P 14 S 14 T 15 Anthropological Jargon 15 A 15 C 15 D 15 E 15 F 16 I 16 P 16 S 16 Acronyms 17 1— Anthropology, Development and the Crisis of Modernity 18 Development in Ruins 18 Development: History and Meanings 20 Capitalism and Colonialism: 1700–1949 20 The Post-Colonial Era: 1949 Onwards 23 The 'Aid Industry' 25 Theories of Development 29 Modernisation 29 Dependency Theory 33 The Demise of Development Theory 37 The 1990s: The Age of Post-Modernity? 37 Post-Modernism and Anthropology 39 Anthropology and Post-Development: Moving On 41 2— Applying Anthropology – An Historical Background 43 Anthropologists, Social Change and Cultural Relativism 44 The Origins of Applied Anthropology in the UK 46 The Origins of Applied Anthropology in the US 47 Anthropology, Colonialism and Asymmetrical Power 49 Post-War Applied Anthropology 51 Applied Development Roles for Anthropologists 58 Applied Anthropologists and Development Projects 61 Applied Anthropology and Advocacy 63 Conclusion 65 3— The Anthropology of Development 67 Anthropologists, Change and Development 67 The Social and Cultural Effects of Economic Change 70 Rural to Urban Migration and 'Detribalisation' 70 Agricultural Change: Polarisation 71 Capitalism and the 'World System' 74 The Gendered Effects of Economic Change 77 The Social and Cultural Effects of Development Projects (and Why they Fail) 79 The Internal Workings and Discourses of the 'Aid Industry' 85 Conclusion 92 4— Subverting the Discourse – Knowledge and Practice 94 Access 96 Case 1— Albania: Differential Access to Rural Resources in the Postcommunist Era[en(3)] 97 Case 2— Mali Sud Rural Development Project: Inequality between Communities[en(4)] 98 Case 3— Land Rights in Calcutta: Inequality between Households[en(6)] 100 Case 4— Women's Credit Groups in Bangladesh: Inequality Within Households[en(7)] 101 Effects 104 Case 5— The Kariba Dam: The Effects of Resettlement[en(9)] 105 Case 6— The Maasai Housing Project: Technological Change[en(10)] 107 Control 110 Working with Local Groups and Institutions 110 Case 7— Labour Welfare in Tea Plantations: Enabling Control[en(15)] 112 Appropriate Organisational Structures 114 Appropriate Communication 116 Conclusion 117 5— New Directions – Practice and Change 120 Poverty Focused Aid and 'Income Generation' 121 'Target Groups' 122 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) 124 'Participation' 127 Participatory Research Methodologies 130 'Empowerment' 133 Farming Systems Research 136 Community Development 138 Women in Development (WID) and Gender and Development (GAD) 138 Conclusion 142 6— Anthropologists within Development 145 Anthropologists as Consultants 145 Working within Agencies 147 The Compromise between Pure and Applied 149 Achieving Influence 150 The Question of Ethics 152 Case 1— Evaluating Rural Cooperative Training 153 Points for Discussion 157 Case 2— Disaster Prevention-Cyclone Shelters, Community Participation and NGOs 158 Background 158 The Cyclone Shelter Cum Primary School Project 160 Points for Discussion 163 Case 3— The Fish Farm – 'the Tail Wagging the Dog'? 164 Points for Discussion 167 Conclusion 168 7— Beyond Development? 170 Unpicking Development 171 Anthropology and Development: Moving On 172 Working from Within 175 How should Anthropologists Become Involved? 177 The Ethics of Involvement 178 Cooption by Developmental Discourse 179 Breaking out of the Discourse 181 Beyond 'Anthropologists as Experts' 182 Conclusion 184 Notes And References 186 Chapter 1— Anthropology, Development and the Crisis of Modernity 186 Chapter 2— Applying Anthropology – an Historical Background 187 Chapter 3— The Anthropology of Development 188 Chapter 4— Subverting the Discourse – Knowledge and Practice 188 Chapter 5— New Directions – Practice and Change 189 Chapter 6— Anthropologists within Development 189 Chapter 7— Beyond Development? 190 Bibliography 191 Index 203 A 203 B 204 C 204 D 204 E 205 F 206 G 206 H 206 I 206 J 207 K 207 L 207 M 207 N 207 O 207 P 207 Q 208 R 208 S 208 T 209 U 209 W 209 "The work of development and anthropology in many ways share the same setting, yet their relationship has always been uneasy; their practitioners often separated by vast expanses of mutually incompatible premises, methods and objectives." "Ideal for newcomers to both fields, this text bridges the gap, providing readers with an introduction to development studies and was an involvement in the development might mean for anthropologists. At its heart is an anthropological critique of conventional development practice which probes the relationship of the two subjects. Through detailed case studies and the issues raised by them, Gardner and Lewis outline the social issues and problems of both rural and urban development. Their conclusions are that rough anthropological techniques and perspectives, many of the problems of western aid can be avoided."--Jacket