Anatomy of Resettlement

This book establishes the relevance of studying resettlement from an anthropological perspective, with stories and ethnographic accounts of development processes. Anatomy of Resettlement: Ethnographic Accounts and Stories in Retrospect examines resettlement as a development strategy and the ongoing controversies and debate on resettlement as a development model. It chronicles the author’s views and experience gathered over a period of three decades in this highly problematic and much debated field. The narratives, based on his work in many countries, examine the state of resettlement and development policies and practices in four selected countries – Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan. The book demonstrates that resettlement works and that the affected people, including the marginal and vulnerable groups, benefit more from project development. The overall findings from the case studies lend strong support to the resettlement with development (RwD) paradigm, with an attempt to reframe the debate more toward the management of resettlement for better outcomes.