Development Anthropology

Book excerpt: “Students will really appreciate this book. It has a rare combination of humor, clarity, exceptional writing, and, above all, a precision in outlining skills and knowledge for practice. As a professional, I learned much that will be useful to me.” —Alexander M. Ervin, University of Saskatchewan “At last, a textbook on development anthropology that is comprehensive, clearly written, and up-to-date! Nolan provides an exceptionally useful framework for analyzing development projects, carefully illustrated with mini-case studies.” —Linda Stone, Washington State University “Nolan’s book should be a backpack staple for the practitioner of grassroots development.” —Jan Knippers Black, Monterey Institute of International Studies Development Anthropology is a detailed examination of anthropology’s many uses in international development projects. Written from a practitioner’s standpoint and containing numerous examples and case studies, the book provides students with a comprehensive overview of what development anthropologists do, how they do it, and what problems they encounter in their work. The book outlines the evolution of both applied anthropology and international development and their involvement with each other throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. It focuses on how development projects work and how anthropology is used in project design, implementation, and evaluation. The final section of the book considers how both development and anthropology must change in order to become more effective. An appendix provides practical advice to students considering a career in development anthropology.