The Changing Face of Development: Bridging the Macro and Micro Processes of Globalization and Ethnography
Open Access
Author:
Bieniek, Lauren Ann
Area of Honors:
Elective Area of Honors - Civic and Community of Engagement
Degree:
Bachelor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Charles Elavsky, Thesis Supervisor Charles Elavsky, Thesis Supervisor Eric Robert White, Thesis Honors Advisor Susannah Heyer Barsom, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
globalization ethnography Kenya development
Abstract:
How is development to be viewed in today’s globalized world? With the processes of globalization ever changing the interconnectedness of our planet, actors and institutions now operate on numerous levels which affect the experience of developing countries in complex ways. This thesis attempts to bridge the gap between the global and the local, considering developing countries and their inhabitants through analyses at both the macro and micro levels. It takes up globalization in relation to the spread of neoliberal ideals, and considers the implication for developing countries and development theories. These macro processes (and the individual actors behind them) are considered simultaneously with grounded human experience on the micro level, utilizing a limited ethnography in Uganda and Kenya. In doing so, we seek to begin connecting the complex human actions that operate on various levels so as to better understand today’s world order and where agency lies therein for development purposes and the pursuit of social justice.
