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Participation and empowerment; the role of anthropologists in dl t

4 important questions on Participation and empowerment; the role of anthropologists in dl t

Chambers, Poverty and livelihoods: whose reality counts?

Poverty, suffering and deprivation seem to be becoming more regional, concentrated more in those countries, which are least able to improve conditions.The rich people see the poor on the television (mind you there are secret ill-being and death prevails à abuse women, abortion girl fetuses) we have more power then ever to do something, there is more wealth then ever before yet aid decline and hundred of millions of the poorest are on a downward slide, to become poorer and more vulnerable.

The strategy of the poor is to build a livelihood with multiple assets:

home gardening, common property resources, scavenging (in cities) mutual help, contract outwork casual labour, specialized occupations, domestic service, child labour, mutual help, contract outwork casual labour, specialized occupations, domestic service, child labour,

Limits to development decisions taken at the local level

• Short-term view
• Limited understanding of opportunities or consequences or consequences
• Limited by traditional elites
• Limited by general power inequality

Gardner & Lewis, chapter 6
Anthropologists within development

An anthropologist in a development organisation
• Is overly critical of the project; not fitting within
discourse
• Takes too much time to produce a report
• Pleas for too much participation from below
• Is not a team player
But:
• Holistic, flexible, relaxed attitude with
beneficiaries, open for participation from below,
having detailed local knowledge, etc

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Development and Globalization

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