Search results for ""author peter d. little""

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewLittle (anthropology, Univ. of Kentucky) shows how since 1991, Somalia has adapted to a freewheeling, stateless capitalism. As in other collapsed African states, the borders between war and peace, official and unofficial, and legal and illegal are fuzzy, especially for pastoralists. Moreover, like Terrance Ranger (The Invention of Tribalism in Zimbabwe, 1985), Little sees ethnicity and clanism as created, manifested, combined, and reconstituted in struggles for political and economic benefits. In the 1990s, the UN and allied parties contributed to the proliferation of clan and subclan by elevating their significance in allocating resources. In some instances, to increase power disguised militia leaders or warlords became elders and their followers clans. Little's thorough, clearly written, and well—organized book is a treat for scholars. His study combines an economic anthropology of Somalian herding and trading communities; explanations of how people survive in failed states and who wins and who loses; how people organize their financial transactions without a central bank; the growth of telecommunications facilities and financial stability amid a collapsed state; how conflict contributes to the decline of major urban areas; and how all these have been affected by the US-led war on terror. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper—division undergraduate through professional collections.E. W. Nafziger, Kansas State University, Choice, may 2004"Little's thorough, clearly written, and well-organized book is a treat for scholars.... Highly recommended." —Choice, May 2004Table of ContentsPreliminary Table of Contents: Acknowledgments1. Introduction to a Stateless Economy2. Land of Livestock3. The Destruction of Rural-Urban Relations4. Tough Choices5. Boom Times in a Bust State6. Life Goes On7. Conclusions: Somalia in a Wider ContextEpilogue: In the Aftermath of September 11thReferences

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Book SynopsisBook explores the contradictions between what policy reforms were supposed to do and what actually happened in local communitiesTrade ReviewThe achievements in this book are multiple. Its diversity of ethnographic settings and field techniques, its historical depth, the bold injection of new ideas for the study of pastoralism, and the clear scope for comparative analysis all converge to bring home the message that encounters with neoliberalism must be described and analyzed in nuanced, site-specific contexts. The book will be a compelling read for anthropologists and development practitioners, including those less familiar with the African continent. The book's long gestation was worth the wait. * American Anthropologist *This book is well written and the narratives are enlightening. It should be recommended reading for students of African development. * International Social Science Review *Political and Economic Reform in Africa is a sharp and insightful book, offering the reader firsthand knowledge of the effects of neoliberal policies and donor-initiated development on rural farming and herding populations on the ground. The book's examples are rich and detailed, and would well serve university courses in development and rural economy, but also in agencies carrying out development. * African Studies Review *Economic and Political Reform in Africa is a fascinating and wide ranging treatment of neoliberal development policy in sub-Saharan Africa. This text should be required reading for anybody interested in African development, and would be of significant interest to anybody interested in neoliberal development in post-colonial settings. * African Studies Bulletin *This is a rich, informative book on extremely complicated processes in Africa. . . . Recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: What it means to be "Reformed?" 1. 'They Think We Can Manufacture Crops:' Contract Farming and the Non-Traditional Commodity Business2. 'Everybody is a Petty Trader:' Peri-Urban Trade in Post-Conflict Maputo, Mozambique3. 'We Now Milk Elephants:' The Community Conservation Business in Rural Kenya4. 'They are Beating Us Over the Head with Democracy:' Multi-Party Elections in Rural Kenya 5. 'The Government is always telling us what to think:' Narratives of food aid dependence in rural Ethiopia6. 'Counting the poor:' The politics of pastoralist poverty assessments in Kenya7. 'A sort of free business:' Stateless Somalia and a hyper-liberalized economyConclusions: Rethinking encounters and reformist narratives NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisElgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.Expertly navigating the interdisciplinary field of economic anthropology, Peter D. Little illustrates how an anthropological perspective can deepen understandings of customary and global markets; different types of money; diversified livelihoods of the poor; gendered and racialized labor; climate change and other global issues. By questioning common dichotomies, such as the informal versus formal sectors and customary versus modern institutions, the book uncovers those hidden connections, power relations, and economic actors and processes that underpin real economies throughout the world.Key Features: Highlights the significance of neglected and unwaged economic activities Focuses on the role of social trust in both low- and high-income economies Covers in depth how decisions in financial institutions are impacted by cultural factors Critically analyzes seminal literature in economic anthropology and related disciplines This erudite Advanced Introduction is an indispensable resource for academics, researchers, and students in economics and finance, behavioral and experimental economics, economic history, anthropology, development studies, international and global studies, and cultural and social economy studies.Trade Review‘This volume offers an insightful analysis and synthesis of the breadth of contemporary Economic Anthropology. It’s a valuable exploration of the current state of the field, incorporating recent literature and adding voices often left out, thus demonstrating the diversity of economic thought in anthropology and inspiring fresh insights. It is a clear and comprehensive introduction to the field for students, an excellent and concise refresher for those already familiar.’ -- Lisa Cliggett, University of Kentucky, US‘In this concise volume, Peter Little has renewed the field of economic anthropology. Classic topics meet the urgency of today’s economies. From street vending to global value chains, agrarian labor to the gig economy, Little explains ideas and debates essential for understanding how diverse peoples create careers, value, and earnings. It is an excellent guide for contemporary analysis of working lives and economic power.’ -- Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US‘Without neglecting the classics, Peter Little has written an introduction to economic anthropology that tackles the present moment of global capitalism head on. Over a vast range of topics, he juxtaposes ethnographic analysis of the “real economy” with ethical sensitivity. I particularly appreciated the attention paid to informality and trust, global value chains, digital financialization, and to the very language in which people’s economic activities are described and thereby constituted.’ -- Chris Hann, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, GermanyTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1 Introduction to economic anthropology: history, theory, and concepts 2 Labor and work 3 Exchange, trade, and markets 4 Culture and consumption 5 Informality 6 Money, credit, and debt 7 Real-world challenges 8 Concluding remarks on economic anthropology Index

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Book SynopsisElgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.Expertly navigating the interdisciplinary field of economic anthropology, Peter D. Little illustrates how an anthropological perspective can deepen understandings of customary and global markets; different types of money; diversified livelihoods of the poor; gendered and racialized labor; climate change and other global issues. By questioning common dichotomies, such as the informal versus formal sectors and customary versus modern institutions, the book uncovers those hidden connections, power relations, and economic actors and processes that underpin real economies throughout the world.Key Features: Highlights the significance of neglected and unwaged economic activities Focuses on the role of social trust in both low- and high-income economies Covers in depth how decisions in financial institutions are impacted by cultural factors Critically analyzes seminal literature in economic anthropology and related disciplines This erudite Advanced Introduction is an indispensable resource for academics, researchers, and students in economics and finance, behavioral and experimental economics, economic history, anthropology, development studies, international and global studies, and cultural and social economy studies.Trade Review‘This volume offers an insightful analysis and synthesis of the breadth of contemporary Economic Anthropology. It’s a valuable exploration of the current state of the field, incorporating recent literature and adding voices often left out, thus demonstrating the diversity of economic thought in anthropology and inspiring fresh insights. It is a clear and comprehensive introduction to the field for students, an excellent and concise refresher for those already familiar.’ -- Lisa Cliggett, University of Kentucky, US‘In this concise volume, Peter Little has renewed the field of economic anthropology. Classic topics meet the urgency of today’s economies. From street vending to global value chains, agrarian labor to the gig economy, Little explains ideas and debates essential for understanding how diverse peoples create careers, value, and earnings. It is an excellent guide for contemporary analysis of working lives and economic power.’ -- Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US‘Without neglecting the classics, Peter Little has written an introduction to economic anthropology that tackles the present moment of global capitalism head on. Over a vast range of topics, he juxtaposes ethnographic analysis of the “real economy” with ethical sensitivity. I particularly appreciated the attention paid to informality and trust, global value chains, digital financialization, and to the very language in which people’s economic activities are described and thereby constituted.’ -- Chris Hann, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, GermanyTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1 Introduction to economic anthropology: history, theory, and concepts 2 Labor and work 3 Exchange, trade, and markets 4 Culture and consumption 5 Informality 6 Money, credit, and debt 7 Real-world challenges 8 Concluding remarks on economic anthropology Index

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Book SynopsisBook explores the contradictions between what policy reforms were supposed to do and what actually happened in local communitiesTrade ReviewThe achievements in this book are multiple. Its diversity of ethnographic settings and field techniques, its historical depth, the bold injection of new ideas for the study of pastoralism, and the clear scope for comparative analysis all converge to bring home the message that encounters with neoliberalism must be described and analyzed in nuanced, site-specific contexts. The book will be a compelling read for anthropologists and development practitioners, including those less familiar with the African continent. The book's long gestation was worth the wait. * American Anthropologist *This book is well written and the narratives are enlightening. It should be recommended reading for students of African development. * International Social Science Review *Political and Economic Reform in Africa is a sharp and insightful book, offering the reader firsthand knowledge of the effects of neoliberal policies and donor-initiated development on rural farming and herding populations on the ground. The book's examples are rich and detailed, and would well serve university courses in development and rural economy, but also in agencies carrying out development. * African Studies Review *Economic and Political Reform in Africa is a fascinating and wide ranging treatment of neoliberal development policy in sub-Saharan Africa. This text should be required reading for anybody interested in African development, and would be of significant interest to anybody interested in neoliberal development in post-colonial settings. * African Studies Bulletin *This is a rich, informative book on extremely complicated processes in Africa. . . . Recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: What it means to be "Reformed?" 1. 'They Think We Can Manufacture Crops:' Contract Farming and the Non-Traditional Commodity Business2. 'Everybody is a Petty Trader:' Peri-Urban Trade in Post-Conflict Maputo, Mozambique3. 'We Now Milk Elephants:' The Community Conservation Business in Rural Kenya4. 'They are Beating Us Over the Head with Democracy:' Multi-Party Elections in Rural Kenya 5. 'The Government is always telling us what to think:' Narratives of food aid dependence in rural Ethiopia6. 'Counting the poor:' The politics of pastoralist poverty assessments in Kenya7. 'A sort of free business:' Stateless Somalia and a hyper-liberalized economyConclusions: Rethinking encounters and reformist narratives NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis study examines agricultural restructuring and its effect upon various African societies. It documents how contract production links farmers, agribusiness and the state; and reveals that contract farming represents a distinctive form in which African growers join in national and world markets.

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