Anthropology in or of Development? On Tracing Pragmatic Relevance of Anthropology in Development Studies

Fahd Zulfiqar
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Fahd Zulfiqar: Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

No 2026:141, PIDE Knowledge Brief from Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

Abstract: Within Development Studies, the relationship between Anthropology and Development, has been documented as uneven, inconsistent, and marred with conceptual complexity and pragmatic ambivalence. The complexity becomes more vivid when Anthropology is traced within Development Studies in the context of Pakistan wherein the theoretical and applied domains of Anthropology are singularly separated. The current knowledge brief is an attempt to articulate the normative and instrumental dimensions of development, position Anthropology within Development Studies, as a theoretical domain, as an analytical inquiry, and as a pragmatic space, and finally trace ways to engage both disciplines for social change that is needed, unforced, and comes from within. The contested definitions of development, the competing debates around Development-Anthropology articulation, and the application of anthropological knowledge for meeting incremental or normative needs of development practice have also been detailed in the write-up.

Pages: 8
Date: 2026
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