Global Shadows: complicating Africa, development, modernity, and globalization

[chimerically]

With quals just behind me and research ramping up, I've been struggling to come to terms with my academic identity and to rekindle a passion for my research that I know is there, but has been dormant for the last little while. It struck me that one book in particular has influenced me more than any other in the last year -- and this has been a

Comments

[anemone]

I'm not quite getting this. What's he suggesting be done? Study the IMF and World Bank? Studying them could be interesting, perhaps, but I don;t see how it would help Africa unless you knew how you wanted thre to change.

African development is a social and economic problem

(Also,

In chapter eight, Ferguson discusses foreign investment in Africa, which has been concentrated in mining and extraction - paradoxically in some of the most unstable, violent places in Africa (despite World Bank and IMF claims that such instability discourages investment).This makes me suspicious that he's caught the lets-hate-the-IMF-and-WorldBank bug. I'm not saying these institutions are always or even mostly right, but in this sentence he's implying they are wrong, but what he points out isn't really a contradiction. If you are Exxon, and you want to mine in an insecure area, you can afford to go in, set up your own enclave and provide security. It might even be better than a more secure area since no one will question security measures

[chimerically]

This makes me suspicious that he's caught the lets-hate-the-IMF-and-WorldBank bug.

Well, that statement is really not about the IMF/World Bank, except in pointing out that there is considerable investment in some of the most socially unstable areas in Africa, which decouples the seemingly-natural connection between social stability and economic "progress." I don't think he even made a big deal of this contradiction, actually; it's just something that stuck with *me* and carried through to my summary, especially since another of the books we read in that class talked more explicitly about the World Bank and economic factors

O M G

[jiveman]

I had to inject ritian just to get through the first page. THIS IS SOO LONG...

I just kept thinking, will somebody though a pie....

[damiandoyle]

I've just purchased a copy of Ferguson's book to read en route to Nairobi. My partner and I are headed there for work. This post was interesting, so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in myself. One question: it sounds like a book for anthropology students, which I am not, so do you think that will be a problem for me in terms of accessibility? Thanks!

[chimerically]

Great! He does try to write for a general (well-educated but not in anthropology) audience. There are times that the ideas are a bit involved, but I think he generally does a good job.

I'm actually not an anthropologist myself, though I've been taking a bunch of classes in it lately. This summary was originally written for a class of anthropology students, so any over-complexity might just be in my retelling!

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think of it, if you get a chance to post again.

Just wanted to say

[anonymous]

Thank you

well done

[anonymous]

omg.. good work, brother

Re: well done

[chimerically]

You mean sister. ;)