Gustavo Esteva is one of Latin America's best-known alternative thinkers about development. For this book, he teams up with Madhu Suri Prakash to offer a vibrant and provocative critique of the Western development paradigm.

With the publication of this remarkable book in 1998, Gustavo Esteva and Madhu Suri Prakash instigated a complete epistemological rupture. Grassroots Post-modernism attacks the three sacred cows of modernity: global thinking, the universality of human rights and the self-sufficient individual. Rejecting the constructs of development in all its forms, Esteva and Prakash argue that even alternative development prescriptions deprive the people of control over their own lives, shifting this control to bureaucrats, technocrats and educators. Rather than presuming that human progress fits a predetermined mould, leading towards an increasing homogenization of cultures and lifestyles, the authors argue for a 'radical pluralism' that honours and nurtures distinctive cultural variety and enables many paths to the realization of self-defined aspirations. This classic text is essential reading for those looking beyond neoliberalism, the global project and the individual self.

The Companion to Development Studies contains over a hundred chapters written by leading international experts within the field to provide a concise and authoritative overview of the key theoretical and practical issues dominating contemporary development studies. Covering a wide range of disciplines the book is divided into ten sections, each prefaced by a section introduction written by the editors. The sections cover: the nature of development, theories and strategies of development, globalization and development, rural development, urbanization and development, environment and development, gender, health and education, the political economy of violence and insecurity, and governance and development. This third edition has been extensively updated and contains 45 new contributions from leading authorities, dealing with pressing contemporary issues such as race and development, ethics and development, BRICs and development, global financial crisis, the knowledge based economy and digital divide, food security, GM crops, comparative urbanism, cities and crime, energy, water hydropolitics, climate change, disability, fragile states, global war on terror, ethnic conflict, legal rights to development, ecosystems services for development, just to name a few. Existing chapters have been thoroughly revised to include cutting-edge developments, and to present updated further reading and websites. The Companion to Development Studies presents concise overviews providing a gateway to further reading and a flexible resource for teaching and learning. It has established a role as essential reading for all students of development studies, as well as those in cognate areas of geography, international relations, politics, sociology, anthropology and economics.

The Companion to Development Studies is an essential one-stop reference for anyone with an interest in development studies. Over 100 international experts have been brought together to present a comprehensive overview of the key theoretical and practical issues dominating contemporary development studies. Building on the success of the first edition, the second edition of the Companion has been thoroughly revised and updated and includes new chapters on a range of topics, including ageing, culture and development, corruption and development and global terrorism. Each chapter summarises current debates and provides guidance for further reading and research. The Companion to Development Studies is indispensable for students of development studies at all levels, from undergraduate to postgraduate and beyond, in departments of development studies, geography, politics, international relations, sociology, social anthropology and economics.

"A thorough and absorbing tour of the sub-discipline... An essential acquisition for any scholar or teacher interested in geographical perspectives on political process." - Sallie Marston, University of Arizona "This unique book is a true encyclopedia of political geography." - Vladimir Kolossov, Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Vice President of the IGU The SAGE Handbook of Political Geography provides a highly contextualised and systematic overview of the latest thinking and research in the field. Edited by key scholars, with international contributions from acknowledged authorities on the relevant research, the Handbook is divided into six sections: Scope and Development of Political Geography: the geography of knowledge, conceptualisations of power and scale. Geographies of the State: state theory, territory and central local relations, legal geographies, borders. Participation and representation: citizenship, electoral geography, media public space and social movements. Political Geographies of Difference: class, nationalism, gender, sexuality and culture. Geography Policy and Governance: regulation, welfare, urban space, and planning. Global Political Geographies: imperialism, post-colonialism, globalization, environmental politics, IR, war and migration. The SAGE Handbook of Political Geography is essential reading for upper level students and scholars with an interest in politics and space.

Post-development has been a major debate in the field of north-south relations at the beginning of the twenty-first century, here contributors explore the limitations of this theory and practice using empirical studies of movements and communities globally.

"An unequivocally excellent work of scholarship that makes significant theoretical and empirical contributions to the understanding of 'globalization' and the working of contemporary neo-liberal capitalism. Hart is especially innovative in placing the study of Taiwanese industrialists in South Africa in relation to both the agrarian history of Taiwan and China, and the way that Taiwanese overseas firms have operated in places other than South Africa. It is a very rare combination of talents and knowledge that makes such a study possible."--James Ferguson, author of Expectations of Modernity

International development is now a major global activity and the focus of the rapidly growing academic discipline of development studies. The Encyclopedia of International Development provides definitions and discussions of the key concepts, controversies and actors associated with international development for a readership of development workers, teachers and students. With 600 entries, ranging in length from shorter factual studies to more in-depth essays, a comprehensive system of cross references and a full index, it is the most definitive guide to international development yet published. Development is more than a simple increase in a country's wealth and living conditions. It also implies increasing people's choices and freedoms; it is change that is inclusive and empowering. Development theory and practice has important applications to questions of economic growth, trade, governance, education, healthcare, gender rights and environmental protection, and it involves issues such as international aid, peacekeeping, famine relief and strategies against HIV/AIDS. The Encyclopedia treats these topics and many more, and provides critical analyses of important actors within development such as the United Nations and World Bank, non-governmental organizations and corporations. Contributors to this volume reflect the multidisciplinary and international nature of the subject. They come from social science disciplines such as economics, international studies, political science and anthropology, and from specialities such as medicine. This Encyclopedia provides crucial information for universities, students and professional organizations involved with international development, and those interested in related topics such as international studies or other studies of social and economic change today.

This handbook presents a global overview of current research in education and education policy reforms during the last decade. It provides an accessible, practical and comparative source of current research that examines the intersecting and diverse discourses of this important issue. It first examines globalisation, education and policy research and reforms in higher education, including coverage of main trends in education and policy reforms globally, as well as specific policy issues such as gender, equity, minorities and human rights. Next, the handbook offers a comparative perspective that evaluates the ambivalent and problematic relationship between globalisation, the state and education reforms globally. It features coverage on curricula issues and education reforms in schools around the world, the curriculum in the global culture, as well as globalisation and education futures, with respect to social justice and human rights. The handbook contributes to a better and a more holistic understanding of the education reforms and research nexus—offering possible strategies for the effective and pragmatic policy planning and implementation at the local, regional and national levels. It will serve as a vital sourcebook of ideas for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in education.