Tony Barnett – författare

First Published in 1988. This stimulating and original book examines how sociological theory helps us to understand development. The author, writing with clarity and from long practical experience in the field of development, aims to show how different sociological theories cast light on the process of development both in the 'Third World' and in the 'Developed World'. He pays particular attention to the way in which that theory reflects the social, economic, political and racial assumptions of the time in which it originates. Tony Barnett maintains that the development process requires an understanding of the economic, cultural and political ways in which people organize their lives. This is facilitated throughout the book with the use of carefully selected and wide-ranging examples, quotations and case-studies which support and amplify ideas in the narrative - producing a truly interactive text that fully involves the reader. Sociology and Development is as illuminating about the developed world as it is about the underdeveloped world. But, as the author asserts, we are all citizens of the same world, increasingly - although unequally - sharing common resources, ideas and experiences. Sociology can tell us about the origins of this inequality and how it is maintained. Indeed, it is the book's main argument that an understanding of the relationship between sociology and the analysis of development can tell us much about whether, how and why development has occurred. Sociology and Development will be of great value to students of Development Studies, Third World Studies, Area Studies, and those wanting to supplement their work in economics and other development-rel,ated disciplines in both the social and environmental sciences. It is also a thought-provoking, entertaining and enlightening introduction for non-specialists.

Conceived as a response to the economic naïvety and implicit metropolitan bias of many 1950s and 60s studies of ‘the sociology of development’ , this volume, first published in 1975, provides actual field studies and theoretical reviews to indicate the directions which a conceptually more adequate study of developing societies should take.Much of the book reflects strongly the influence of Andre Gunder Frank, but the contributors adopt a critical attitude to his ideas, applying them in empirical situations within such African and American countries as Kenya, Guyana, Tanzania and Peru. Others pursue the lines of enquiry opened up by Latin American theories of economic ‘dependency’ and by the new school of French economic anthropology.

Conceived as a response to the economic naïvety and implicit metropolitan bias of many 1950s and 60s studies of ‘the sociology of development’ , this volume, first published in 1975, provides actual field studies and theoretical reviews to indicate the directions which a conceptually more adequate study of developing societies should take.Much of the book reflects strongly the influence of Andre Gunder Frank, but the contributors adopt a critical attitude to his ideas, applying them in empirical situations within such African and American countries as Kenya, Guyana, Tanzania and Peru. Others pursue the lines of enquiry opened up by Latin American theories of economic ‘dependency’ and by the new school of French economic anthropology.

Gezira is the Arabic word meaning ‘island* or ‘peninsula*. It crops up in place names throughout the Arab world, notably in the name Algeria which is an anglicized form of the Arabic al-guzayir, ‘the islands*. In the Sudan, Gezira means only one thing. It refers to that vast area of land which lies between the Blue and the White Nile. In particular, though, it refers to the part of that area which is irrigated and used for growing cotton, the staple export crop of the country.

The authors propose that the Gezira scheme has played a paradoxical role in the capitalist transformation of the Sudan - reinforcing some non-capitalist production relations while at the same time acting as an engine for the peripheral capitalist development.

First Published in 1988. This stimulating and original book examines how sociological theory helps us to understand development. The author, writing with clarity and from long practical experience in the field of development, aims to show how different sociological theories cast light on the process of development both in the 'Third World' and in the 'Developed World'. He pays particular attention to the way in which that theory reflects the social, economic, political and racial assumptions of the time in which it originates. Tony Barnett maintains that the development process requires an understanding of the economic, cultural and political ways in which people organize their lives. This is facilitated throughout the book with the use of carefully selected and wide-ranging examples, quotations and case-studies which support and amplify ideas in the narrative - producing a truly interactive text that fully involves the reader. Sociology and Development is as illuminating about the developed world as it is about the underdeveloped world. But, as the author asserts, we are all citizens of the same world, increasingly - although unequally - sharing common resources, ideas and experiences. Sociology can tell us about the origins of this inequality and how it is maintained. Indeed, it is the book's main argument that an understanding of the relationship between sociology and the analysis of development can tell us much about whether, how and why development has occurred. Sociology and Development will be of great value to students of Development Studies, Third World Studies, Area Studies, and those wanting to supplement their work in economics and other development-rel,ated disciplines in both the social and environmental sciences. It is also a thought-provoking, entertaining and enlightening introduction for non-specialists.

By the mid-1980s, Sudan’s economy, society and political framework were on the point of disintegration. Civil war was exacerbating the effects of an already major famine. An unpopular government was resorting to ever more extreme measures in order to remain in power. The imposition of a particularly oppressive and hash interpretation of sharia law was heightening racial and religious tensions. Internationally, Sudan was faced by a debt crisis which was apparently insoluble, and which threatened to undermine completely what was left of the economy. This book, first published in 1988, examines the complex economic and social processes which led to this situation – emphasising the part played by the state itself. The book combines detailed multi-disciplinary analyses of Sudan in the post-colonial era with a consideration of possibilities for the future.

By the mid-1980s, Sudan’s economy, society and political framework were on the point of disintegration. Civil war was exacerbating the effects of an already major famine. An unpopular government was resorting to ever more extreme measures in order to remain in power. The imposition of a particularly oppressive and hash interpretation of sharia law was heightening racial and religious tensions. Internationally, Sudan was faced by a debt crisis which was apparently insoluble, and which threatened to undermine completely what was left of the economy. This book, first published in 1988, examines the complex economic and social processes which led to this situation – emphasising the part played by the state itself. The book combines detailed multi-disciplinary analyses of Sudan in the post-colonial era with a consideration of possibilities for the future.