Anthropology and Development: Critical Ethnographic Perspectives

This course examines international development from a comparative ethnographic perspective. The class is organized around the premise that the intertwining of political, economic, and cultural processes is central to explaining the emergence and influence of the very concept of “development,” the extent of popular aspirations for and dissatisfaction with development, and the successes and failures of development programs. The syllabus is structured around a number of broad development themes, such as population, public health, gender, governance, inequality, and humanitarian and refugee issues, with readings selected to represent a wide range of regions and cases. In addition, the anthropological lens is turned back on development institutions, as students will also read ethnographic accounts of Western development agencies.