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CS92PROD
Anthropology of Development
ANTH 259
Fall 2009 not offered
Crosslisting: FGSS 259

Our purpose in this course will be to critically explore the notion and phenomenon of development through an anthropological lens--that is, to focus on what is cultural about development. We will examine the various ways in which development has been conceptualized, approached, and critiqued by different sets of theorists. We will begin by looking at the orthodox (modernization) and political economic paradigms of development. We will then explore the more recent anthropological studies of development. These critical analyses of development argue that development operates as a regime of representation and power that creates people's and nations' identities (such as poor, underdeveloped, and modern) and then exerts control over them. However, instead of assuming that development works as a monolithic and totalizing force that only exerts power over people, we will look at ethnographies that show how development is received, understood, and sometimes contested by people at the grassroots level. In other words, we will examine how development operates as a fertile and productive terrain that not only disciplines people but also allows spaces for negotiation. We will also examine how gender figures into these different analyses.

Essential Capabilities: None
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ANTH
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ANTH)(CGST-MN)(ENVS-MN)(ENVS)(FGSS)(STS)

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
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