Discordant Development
Global Capitalism and the Struggle for Connection in Bangladesh
Published on 17. February 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
280 pages
978-0-7453-3149-2 (ISBN)
Description
What happened when Chevron, a multinational mining company, opened a gas plant right next to densely populated villages in rural Bangladesh?
This book reveals contradictory ways that local people attempt to connect to, and are disconnected by, foreign capital. Commentators on the situation have different frameworks, whether of dispossession and scarcity, the success of Corporate Social Responsibility, or imperialist exploitation and corruption. Yet as Gardner argues, what really matters in the struggles over resources is which of these stories are heard, and the power of those who tell them.
Based on the narratives of dispossessed land owners, urban activists, mining officials and the rural landless, Discordant Development shows the real picture behind the effect multinational capital has on indigenous communities.
This book reveals contradictory ways that local people attempt to connect to, and are disconnected by, foreign capital. Commentators on the situation have different frameworks, whether of dispossession and scarcity, the success of Corporate Social Responsibility, or imperialist exploitation and corruption. Yet as Gardner argues, what really matters in the struggles over resources is which of these stories are heard, and the power of those who tell them.
Based on the narratives of dispossessed land owners, urban activists, mining officials and the rural landless, Discordant Development shows the real picture behind the effect multinational capital has on indigenous communities.
Reviews / Votes
'Treads a finely judged line, keeping both neoliberal developers and anti-globalisation activists at arm's length in order to describe relations at a human scale, thereby doing for development what anthropology ought' -- David Mosse, Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Illustrations
1 b&w figure
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
410 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7453-3149-2 (9780745331492)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2012
1st Edition
Pluto Press
€83.69
Available for download
E-Book
02/2012
1st Edition
Pluto Press
€35.99
Available for download
Person
Katy Gardner is Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and the author of Global Migrants, Local Lives (Oxford University Press, 1995), Discordant Development (Pluto, 2012) and Anthropology and Development (Pluto, 2015).
Content
1. Discordant developments: an introduction
2. Histories of connection: colonialism, migration and multinationals
3. Material Connections: Resources and Livelihoods in Duniyapur
4. Our Own Poor: Social Connections, 'Helping' and Claims to Entitlement
5. Claims of Partnership and Ethical Connection : Chevron's Programme of 'Community Engagement'
6. Rumour and Activism: Politics Break Out
7. Blow Out! Stories of Disconnection and Loss
Bibliography
Index
2. Histories of connection: colonialism, migration and multinationals
3. Material Connections: Resources and Livelihoods in Duniyapur
4. Our Own Poor: Social Connections, 'Helping' and Claims to Entitlement
5. Claims of Partnership and Ethical Connection : Chevron's Programme of 'Community Engagement'
6. Rumour and Activism: Politics Break Out
7. Blow Out! Stories of Disconnection and Loss
Bibliography
Index