Can There Be a Universal Definition of Poverty? (eBook)

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: A, Brunel University, language: English, abstract: Much effort in development is focused on the issue of poverty, how to address it and ultimately how to reduce and/or eliminate it. It is important to have a definition of poverty; however the issue goes deeper than that. How poverty is defined influences the manner in which it is addressed. Some have tried to define poverty simply in monetary terms. Others have argued that poverty is more than low income, but rather a deprivation of basic freedom and the capability to enjoy life. This article will discuss both approaches and will consider their limitations, before moving to a third approach; the multidimensional approach used by anthropologists. Poverty is a complex process stemming from historical and cultural factors and is deeply embedded in the social environment. By referring to ethnographic fieldwork, an overview will be given of the valuable contribution that this anthropological type of perspective has made, showing that poverty cannot have a universal definition.