MicroGeographies of Development I

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Micro-Geographies of Development I

• Craig Jeffrey
• Monday 13th November 2006

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Next Three Lectures Micro-Geographies of
Development Bijnor District in the early 2000s

• These three lectures aim to
• 1. Introduce how development works (or fails to
  work) in one small region of north India
• 2. Introduce the voices of the poor on the
  subject of development
• 3. Examine how these micro-geographies relate
  to broader development issues

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And next week

• We will link these micro-geographies of north
  India to evidence from other areas of the global
  south

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This weeks readings

• Jeffery (2004) A Useless Thing or Nectar of
  the Gods?
• Note changes from syllabus

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Definition of social reproduction

• Biological reproduction reproductive behavior,
  patterns of sexual relationships, family
  structures
• Daily Reproduction reproduction examined on a
  short term basis, to include the daily, weekly,
  or annual process of survival and maintenance of
  life
• Reproduction of Social Structures and Relations
  especially reproduction of inequality and the
  mechanisms such as education through which
  inequalities are reproduced, contested and
  transformed

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Why is it important to consider questions of
social reproduction?

• 1. Social reproduction affects broader processes
  of economic development
• 2. Peoples ideas of development relate closely
  to questions of social reproduction
• 3. Development in the past has focused too much
  on production and not enough on social
  reproduction

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Why research education?

• 1. Increasingly central to lives of rural people
  in the global south
• 2. Increasingly central to development strategies
  eg World Banks 1 billion dollar project in
  north India
• 3. Important in either changing peoples approach
  to agriculture or potentially giving people a
  route out of farming or farm labor

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Our research on education and development I

• Collaborative research with Roger Jeffery and
  Patricia Jeffery
• Based in Bijnor district in western Uttar Pradesh
  next to Meerut district
• Funded by the UKs Economic and Social Research
  Council
• Involved us in living in north India for two years

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Uttar Pradesh some key points

• 160 million people (17 of Indias popn)
• Agriculture 40 of GDP and 75 of popn
• Per capita income third lowest in India
• 41 in poverty, no progress in poverty
  alleviation since 80s

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Bijnor district key information

• Bijnor is 150km northeast of Delhi
• Agricultural economy sugar cane, wheat and rice
• According to the 2001 Census, 70 of males aged 7
  and above are literate, and 47 of females

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Our research on education and development II

• Interested in role of education in reproducing or
  undermining social inequalities
• Interested in inequalities based upon class,
  caste, gender and religion
• Explored education from point of view of (1)
  parents and young people, (2) teachers in schools
  and Islamic madrasahs, (3) state officials
  responsible for education

Reproduction of Social Structures and Relations
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Our research micro-geographies of education

• How individual people reflect on their education
  in actions as well as words
• Concern with social inequality and scale
• Interested in comparison across regional and
  national boundaries
• Wanted to explore how education is changing
  human/environment relations
• But what does all this mean in terms of studying
  development and education?