The Modernization of Development Anthropology

Researching cultural diversity is a central subject of social anthropology. 25 authors from institutes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland offer an insight into the subject, its contents and theoretical perspectives. The articles cover a variety of topics: the history of the discipline as well as basic theories and methods, subareas such as business or kinship anthropology, crosscutting issues such as anthropology of media, but also up-to-date specialised fields such as urban or development anthropology. The book is therefore invaluable for students and anyone interested in social anthropology who wants to open up fields of work, theoretical approaches and results of the subject.

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Development Anthropology and the Study of Poverty: A Note

Anthropology and Political Economy ◽

10.1007/978-1-349-17943-5_12 ◽

1985 ◽

pp. 167-170

Author(s):

John Clammer

Keyword(s):

Development Anthropology

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Doubly Damned: Dealing with Power and Praxis in Development Anthropology

Human Organization ◽

10.17730/humo.52.4.5565v40l51p12106 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 380-397 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

David Gow

Keyword(s):

Direct Action ◽

Policy Formulation ◽

Local Context ◽

Local Participation ◽

Realistic Approach ◽

Development Professionals ◽

Underlying Causes ◽

Definition Of ◽

Policy Arena ◽

Development Anthropology

Development anthropologists are doubly damned-criticized by both academics and development professionals on romantic, moral, and intellectual grounds, and basically regarded as second-class citizens within the "development community." As a result, they have studiously avoided defining the principal objectives of development. Likewise, they have shied away from developing theories that direct action to the underlying causes of "underdevelopment." And given their traditional focus on the local context, development anthropologists have often been hard pressed to deal effectively with external factors, particularly power, whether political, institutional, or economic. An analysis of three rural development projects shows how anthropologists dealt with power. A key element was their effectiveness in the policy arena, based partly on their "anthropological authority," but also on their relative autonomy. Equally important is a broader definition of local participation that includes a realistic approach to empowerment. For development anthropology to shed its stigma of damnation, it is necessary for it to increase its concentration on critique and analysis, leading to better policy formulation, and the opportunity to implement policy as theory in practice.

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