Routledge Anthropology for Development: From Theory to Practice

Anthropology for Development: From Theory to Practice connects cross-cultural social theory with the concerns of development policy and practice. It introduces the reader to a set of key ideas from the field of anthropology of  development, and shows how these insights can be applied to solve real-world development dilemmas. This single, accessibly written volume clearly explains key concepts from anthropology and draws them into a  framework to address some of the important challenges facing development policy and practice in the twenty-first century: poverty, participation, sustainability and innovation. It discusses classic critical and ethnographic texts and more recent anthropological work, using rich case studies across a range of country contexts to provide an introduction to the field not available elsewhere. The examples presented are designed to help development professionals reframe their practice with attention to social and cultural variables as well as understand why mainstream approaches to reducing poverty, raising productivity, delivering social services and grappling with environmental risks often fail. This book will prove invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate students who are professionals-in-training in development studies programs around the world. It will also help development professionals work effectively and inclusively across cultures, tap into previously invisible resources, and turn current development challenges into opportunities. Review "Using the tools and concepts of anthropology, Robyn Eversole provides a map of the development process as it really is. Practitioners and students learn how to recognize and respond to the needs of diverse communities while also juggling the complex dilemma of how to obtain and use scarce resources. This is a clear, concise and critical book which reinforces the fact that all development must be a collaboration within a specific context. It’s the book I needed while teaching and doing development!" - Jeanne Simonelli, Professor Emerita, Wake Forest University and SUNY-Oneonta, US.   "A welcome book that gives a straightforward account of what anthropology has to offer in development contexts. Those of us from the discipline, largely ignored until relatively recently, have long argued that it has much to offer with respect to the cross-cultural challenges faced by development programmes. This book puts the argument clearly, and is particularly useful in giving an update on current issues, with development being a field that features rapid change." - Paul Sillitoe, Professor of Anthropology, Durham University, UK.     About the Author Robyn Eversole is Professor with the Centre for Social Impact, based at Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia.