Development Programs and Culture Change - Bedouin - Essay Example

Governments and international agencies have turned to anthropologists for advice. The anthropologists are meant to offer insight into practices of various cultures before the implementation of various projects. A case example is provided for the Bedouin people in the Middle East. The Bedouin people are described as nomadic and the government effort to offer them alternative settlement has led to resistance and subsequent failure. This is because their ways of life are not similar to those adopted by the nation-states. Following the advice of Dawn Chatty an anthropologist, society is slowly embracing change. The society has begun to change in some aspects such as the adoption of trucks instead of a camel.

There is Nothing Like Evidence to Shake Mistaken Beliefs

The author begins with a description of how potatoes are grown in the Andean highlands of South America. Potatoes are mostly grown in the highlands and not on lower lands in the region. The assumption is that because corns are grown in the lower lands, there is less space available to grow potatoes. Therefore, potatoes are likely to be grown in highlands where conditions are poor for corns. In addition, anthropologists are hired to advise on how potatoes production can be increased in a sustainable manner in Peru. The anthropologists conducted an investigation in different parts of the world. The results were worrying as they showed that the growth of potatoes in highlands had severe consequences.