Visions of Development in Central Asia
Revitalizing the Culture Concept
Seiten
2021
Lexington Books (Verlag)
978-1-4985-4017-9 (ISBN)
Lexington Books (Verlag)
978-1-4985-4017-9 (ISBN)
This book analyzes the anthropological concept of “culture” in the development sector of the Kyrgyz Republic. The author calls for a revitalization of the culture concept regarding diversity and social change in order to better inform broader debates about development and well-being.
In Visions of Development in Central Asia: Revitalizing the Culture Concept, Noor O’Neill Borbieva reflects on anthropology’s withdrawal from discussions about culture and the parallel rise of the intellectually and politically problematic discourse of “culture matters thinking,” or CMT. CMT asserts that cultures are homogeneous and that the dominant values of its culture determine a state’s socioeconomic and political trajectories. Drawing on practice theory, ecological psychology, complexity science, and poststructuralism, Borbieva urges anthropologists to revisit debates about culture in order to counteract the influence of simplistic formulations such as CMT. Through an examination of ethnographic material from Kyrgyzstan, gathered during the years she worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer and as an anthropologist, Borbieva examines how debates about culture shaped the development sector’s agenda in Central Asia. She argues that mainstream discussions of culture not only misunderstand the cultural basis of human diversity but also threaten that diversity by promoting a one-size-fits-all vision of well-being. Borbieva suggests an alternative vision, one that recognizes the profound complexity of human sociality and embraces the many forms of human thriving that grow out of our cultural differences.
In Visions of Development in Central Asia: Revitalizing the Culture Concept, Noor O’Neill Borbieva reflects on anthropology’s withdrawal from discussions about culture and the parallel rise of the intellectually and politically problematic discourse of “culture matters thinking,” or CMT. CMT asserts that cultures are homogeneous and that the dominant values of its culture determine a state’s socioeconomic and political trajectories. Drawing on practice theory, ecological psychology, complexity science, and poststructuralism, Borbieva urges anthropologists to revisit debates about culture in order to counteract the influence of simplistic formulations such as CMT. Through an examination of ethnographic material from Kyrgyzstan, gathered during the years she worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer and as an anthropologist, Borbieva examines how debates about culture shaped the development sector’s agenda in Central Asia. She argues that mainstream discussions of culture not only misunderstand the cultural basis of human diversity but also threaten that diversity by promoting a one-size-fits-all vision of well-being. Borbieva suggests an alternative vision, one that recognizes the profound complexity of human sociality and embraces the many forms of human thriving that grow out of our cultural differences.
Noor O’Neill Borbieva is associate professor of anthropology at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Chapter One: Encountering Central Asia
Chapter Two: Cross-cultural Adaptation
Chapter Three: Development as Culture Change
Chapter Four: Freedom First?
Chapter Five: Innovation as Freedom
Chapter Six: Institutions Matter
Conclusion: What is Culture?
Epilogue: Culture as Well-being
Erscheinungsdatum | 16.06.2021 |
---|---|
Reihe/Serie | Contemporary Central Asia: Societies, Politics, and Cultures |
Verlagsort | Lanham, MD |
Sprache | englisch |
Maße | 153 x 230 mm |
Gewicht | 408 g |
Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte |
Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie | |
Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie | |
ISBN-10 | 1-4985-4017-1 / 1498540171 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1-4985-4017-9 / 9781498540179 |
Zustand | Neuware |
Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
aus dem Bereich
Erinnerungen
Buch | Softcover (2024)
Pantheon (Verlag)
16,00 €