Anthropology and Development: Understanding Contemporary Social Change

Description

This book re-establishes the relevance of mainstream anthropological (and sociological) approaches to development processes and simultaneously recognizes that contemporary development ought to be anthropology's principal area of study. Professor de Sardan argues for a socio-anthropology of change and development that is a deeply empirical, multidimensional, diachronic study of social groups and their interactions. The Introduction provides a thought-provoking examination of the principal new approaches that have emerged in the discipline during the 1990s. Part I then makes clear the complexity of social change and development, and the ways in which socio-anthropology can measure up to the challenge of this complexity. Part II looks more closely at some of the leading variables involved in the development process, including relations of production; the logics of social action; the nature of knowledge; forms of mediation; and 'political' strategies. This book re-establishes the relevance of mainstream anthropological (and sociological) approaches to development processes and simultaneously recognizes that contemporary development ought to be anthropology's principal area of study. Professor de Sardan argues for a socio-anthropology of change and development that is a deeply empirical, multidimensional, diachronic study of social groups and their interactions. The Introduction provides a thought-provoking examination of the principal new approaches that have emerged in the discipline during the 1990s. Part I then makes clear the complexity of social change and development, and the ways in which socio-anthropology can measure up to the challenge of this complexity. Part II looks more closely at some of the leading variables involved in the development process, including relations of production; the logics of social action; the nature of knowledge; forms of mediation; and 'political' strategies. This book re-establishes the relevance of mainstream anthropological (and sociological) approaches to development processes and simultaneously recognizes that contemporary development ought to be anthropology's principal area of study. Professor de Sardan argues for a socio-anthropology of change and development that is a deeply empirical, multidimensional, diachronic study of social groups and their interactions. The Introduction provides a thought-provoking examination of the principal new approaches that have emerged in the discipline during the 1990s. Part I then makes clear the complexity of social change and development, and the ways in which socio-anthropology can measure up to the challenge of this complexity. Part II looks more closely at some of the leading variables involved in the development process, including relations of production; the logics of social action; the nature of knowledge; forms of mediation; and 'political' strategies. This book re-establishes the relevance of mainstream anthropological (and sociological) approaches to development processes and simultaneously recognizes that contemporary development ought to be anthropology's principal area of study. Professor de Sardan argues for a socio-anthropology of change and development that is a deeply empirical, multidimensional, diachronic study of social groups and their interactions. The Introduction provides a thought-provoking examination of the principal new approaches that have emerged in the discipline during the 1990s. Part I then makes clear the complexity of social change and development, and the ways in which socio-anthropology can measure up to the challenge of this complexity. Part II looks more closely at some of the leading variables involved in the development process, including relations of production; the logics of social action; the nature of knowledge; forms of mediation; and 'political' strategies. Cover About this book About the author Title page Table of Contents 1 Introduction The discourse of development Populism, anthropology and development The entangled social logic approach Conclusion: the future of the entangled social logic approach Notes 2 Socio-anthropology of development Development Socio-anthropology of development Comparativism Action Populism A collective problematic Social change and development: in Africa or in general? Notes 3 Anthropology, sociology, Africa and development French colonial ethnology Reactions: dynamic and/or Marxist anthropology Sociology of modernization and sociology of development Systems analysis The current situation: multi-rationalities Notes 4 A Renewal of Anthropology? To the rescue of social science? The ‘properties’ of ‘development facts’. Two heuristic points of view Anthropology of social change and development and the fields of anthropology Notes 5 Stereotypes, ideologies and conceptions A meta-ideology of development Infra-ideologies: conceptions Five stereotypes The relative truth of stereotypes: the example of ‘culture’ The propensity for stereotypes: the example of ‘needs’ Notes 6 Is an anthropology of innovation possible? A panorama in four points of view Is an innovations problematic possible in anthropology? Innovation as a way in Notes 7 Developmentalist populism and social science populism Intellectuals and their ambiguous populism The poor according to Chambers The developmentalist populist complex Moral populism Cognitive populism and methodological populism Ideological populism Populism and miserabilism Where action becomes compromise … and where knowledge can become opposition … … yet methodology should combine! Notes 8 Relations of production and modes of economic action Songhay-Zarma societies under colonization Subsistence logic during the colonial period Relations of production and contemporary transformations Conclusion Notes 9 Development projectsand social logic The context of interaction Levels of project coherence Peasant reactions Two principles Three logics, among many others Strategic logics and notional logics Notes 10 Popular knowledge andscientific and technical knowledge Popular technical knowledge A few properties of popular technical knowledge Popular technical knowledge and technical–scientificknowledge Fields of popular knowledge and infrastructure Notes 11 Mediations and brokerage Development agents A parenthesis on corruption Development agents as mediators between types of knowledge Brokers The development language Notes 12 Arenas and strategic groups Local development as a political arena Conflict, arena, strategic groups The ECRIS framework Notes 13 Conclusion Logic of knowledge and logic of action Two models to be rejected Third model: action research Fourth model: the contractual solution Training development agents Adapting to sidetracking On enquiry Socio-anthropology of development and anthropology applied to development Notes Bibliography Index