Development's Displacements

As multilateral agencies, social movements, and state authoritiesworldwide struggle to cope with the effects of large-scale developmentprojects, such as dam building, mining, oil extraction, forestplantations, and nature conservation, the problem of displacementremains unresolved. The crisis of “development refugees” --those forced to relocate not by wars or political conflicts but ratherbecause of development policies, programs, and projects – isbecoming increasingly prevalent across the globe.

While existing studies on development-induced displacement havefocused on issues such as resettlement and compensation for thosedisplaced, this volume seeks to address displacement as a broad andmultilayered phenomenon. A series of illustrative case studies drawnfrom around the globe provide causal accounts of why and howdisplacement occurs, what its effects on communities, ecosystems, andeconomies look like, and the normative or ethical positions held by keyactors involved. Contributors offer economic, political, and culturalanalyses, as well as extensive ethnographic field research, to presenta picture of displacement that illustrates the depth and the breadth ofthe issue.