Anthropology of Development
Summary
Anthropology of development examines how cultural, social and political processes shape efforts to improve human well-being across diverse contexts. It interrogates the ways in which development initiatives—ranging from aid programmes and infrastructure projects to microfinance schemes and conservation efforts—intersect with local values, institutions and power relations. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the discipline highlights how concepts of progress, modernity and sustainability are negotiated, appropriated or resisted by communities. Major concerns include the production of expertise and the role of international agencies, the mobilisation of local knowledge, the unintended consequences of interventions, and the politics of participation and representation. By attending to everyday experiences, material cultures and discursive frames, anthropologists reveal the complex entanglements between global agendas and lived realities, offering critical insights into pathways for more equitable and responsive development.
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Anthropology of Development publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in anthropology of development across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Financialisation of development: The process by which development projects and policies are shaped by financial logics, instruments and actors aiming to mobilise private capital.
Rendering development investible: Strategies and practices used by development institutions to create investment-friendly conditions, including risk mitigation and standardisation.
Serious games: Structured simulations designed to enable stakeholders to explore complex issues, foster dialogue and envision alternative futures.
Locally led development: An approach that prioritises community leadership, indigenous knowledge and grassroots decision-making over externally prescribed models.
Governmental rationalities: The underlying logics and principles that guide how development is planned, governed and evaluated by institutions.
References
- Rendering development investible: The anti-politics machine and the financialisation of development. Progress in Human Geography (2024).
- Mosaic glimpses: Serious games, generous constraints, and sustainable futures in Kandal, Cambodia. World Development (2022).
- The Characteristics of Locally Led Development in the Pacific. Politics and Governance (2020).
About these summaries
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