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17 April 2009
Geographies of Developing Areas
Published in February 2009, this significant new textbook questions traditional conceptions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean to provide a new understanding of the ‘Global South’, highlighting the rich diversity of regions that are usually only viewed in terms of their ‘problems’.
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Providing a positive but critical approach to a number of key issues affecting these important areas, the book:
• Examines the ways in which the Global South is represented
• Explores how the South is shaping, and being shaped by, global economic, political and cultural processes
• Looks at the impacts of these processes for peoples’ lives and identities
• Assesses the possibilities and limitations of different ‘development’ strategies
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Reviews
Glyn Williams, Paula Meth and Katie Willis are to be congratulated for their innovative and clear account of the lives and circumstances in the global South. Their central point - that 80 percent of the world's population deserves more systematic attention from 'mainstream' geography - comes across convincingly and informatively. Skilfully weaving the latest research into a structured and highly accessible point-by-point discussion, this book is a welcome addition to human geography resources and suitable for a range of undergraduate courses.
Sarah Radcliffe, University of Cambridge, UK
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This book is a telling contribution to comparative understanding of the majority world. Blending vignettes with high quality commentary, the book will be a major resource for scholars and students alike, offering a beautifully written overview of the social, political, economic and cultural geographies of developing nations. The text departs from standard development debates to probe contemporary social processes shaping people’s lives in the global south. It will become a standard reference for development geographers and deserves to be read by human geographers and anthropologists much more broadly; a terrific achievement.
Craig Jeffrey, Associate Professor in Geography and International Studies University of Washington, US
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About the Authors
Dr Glyn Williams is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Sheffield. His research encompasses three main themes which he has examined through work in India: poverty and participation; state power and political practices; and environmentalism and environmental governance.
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Dr Paula Meth is a Lecturer in Town and Regional Planning at The University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on social development, particularly in Southern Africa, with a special interest in processes of gendered marginalisation.
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Dr. Katie Willis is a Reader in Development Geography and Director of the Centre for Developing Areas Research at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her main research interests are in the fields of gender, health, migration and development especially in Latin America.
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