3 Review(s)

This book is about the many faces of development in India, China and South Africa viewed by distinguished scholars who have field based experiences in the subject. The four chapters of the book explored the various issues around development from the policy perspective. Another common theme which runs through all the chapters of the book is the attention of the authors on the underprivileged groups of society— poor villagers in China, tribals of Central India and South Africa and the malnourished children of West Bengal. The style of writing of the authors, however, vary considerably. Ajit Banerjee’s long account is like an ethnographic travelogue, while Dilip Mahalanabis provided a full-blooded scientific account of under-nutrition. The rich sociological texts of Rene Veron and Ansu Datta swings between these two poles of style created by Banerjee and Mahalanabis making the collection of articles a real panorama of narratives around development. The book would be of interest to students and researchers in anthropology, sociology, economics, political science and development specialists and practitioners.