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Edited by Deborah Eade and introduced by Mary B. Anderson
Social diversity hinges on three universal human realities. Firstly, that each individual is unique. Secondly, that individuals and their societies are inter-related and inter-dependent. And thirdly, that societies and cultures are dynamic: change may be rapid or gradual, but will always affect different members of society in ways that reflect differences in power and status. This collection brings together papers exploring the varied demands people have of development, depending on whether they are young or old, women or men, from the dominant culture or from an oppressed social group. Naila Kabeer examines the meaning of gender relations in the contexts of development practice, and of development institutions, a theme taken up by Lewis B Dzimbiri in relation to refugee programmes, and by Yezichalem Kassa and Feleke Tadele in diagnosing the needs of rural communities. Mark Gorman focuses on ageing and the needs of elderly people, while Tom and Francesca Scanlon and Maria Luiza Nobre Lamarao describe the challenges of working with street children and adolescents. Shubi L Ishemo argues for the centrality of culture in the processes of social and economic change, and against approaches to development and relief that are not culturally familiar to the people affected.
