ABSTRACT
Social and cultural understanding is, more than ever before, vital for effective development practice. Anthropology is a largely untapped resource for development work. An anthropological view reveals a development landscape where there are already many allies for change. An anthropological approach encourages reflexivity, urging development professionals to consider how their own ways of seeing and ways of working influence how they define problems and implement solutions. Development organisations and professionals frame themselves as the ultimate drivers of change. Development organisations and professionals frame themselves as the ultimate drivers of change. Reframing development situations with attention to the knowledges, logics and ways of working of other development actors can open up unexpected ideas and solutions. The practical opportunity for development professionals is to recognise and work with the social energy. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.
