In this innovative study, Ben Jones argues that scholars too often assume that the state is the most important force behind change in local political communities in Africa. Studies look to the state, and to the impact of government reforms, as ways of understanding processes of development and change. Using the example of Uganda, regarded as one of Africa's few "success stories", Jones chronicles the insignificance of the state and the marginal impact of Western development agencies. Extensive ethnographic fieldwork in a Ugandan village reveals that it is churches, the village court, and organizations based on family and kinships obligations that represent the most significant sites of innovation and social transformation. Groundbreaking and critical in turn, Beyond the State offers a new anthropological perspective on how to think about processes of social and political change in poorer parts of the world. It should appeal to anyone interested in African development. Key features: *Offers a new approach to studying development and change *Gives a fresh perspective on Christianity in Africa *Looks at problems of international development assistance *Provides a rich ethnographic rural study from east Africa

About the Author
Ben Jones is a Lecturer in Development Studies at the University of East Anglia. The thesis manuscript, on which the book is based, was awarded the William Robson Memorial Prize by the London School of Economics.

Reviews
... a refreshing and original antidote to the myopic habits of conventional scholarship... [an] illuminating, astute, against-the-grain study of real-existing development.' -- James C. Scott, Sterling Professor of Political Science and Anthropology, Yale University ! an excellent critique of perspectives focusing on the success of a reform-minded Ugandan state. Jones portrays instead the weakness of central government in the countryside and the deleterious effects of 'external' development schemes. His focus is on change generated from within the local community by the coalescences and interchanges among religious and kin-based associations. -- Joan Vincent, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University Beyond the State in Rural Uganda offers a new anthropological perspective on how to think about processes of social and political change in poorer parts of the world, appealing to anyone interested in African development. Society Now An accessible, intelligent and stimulating account, and a very welcome addition to the literature on Uganda. -- Tania Kaiser, School of Oriental and African Studies Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute ... a refreshing and original antidote to the myopic habits of conventional scholarship... [an] illuminating, astute, against-the-grain study of real-existing development.' ! an excellent critique of perspectives focusing on the success of a reform-minded Ugandan state. Jones portrays instead the weakness of central government in the countryside and the deleterious effects of 'external' development schemes. His focus is on change generated from within the local community by the coalescences and interchanges among religious and kin-based associations. Beyond the State in Rural Uganda offers a new anthropological perspective on how to think about processes of social and political change in poorer parts of the world, appealing to anyone interested in African development. An accessible, intelligent and stimulating account, and a very welcome addition to the literature on Uganda.



Book Information
ISBN 9780748635184
Author Ben Jones
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press
Weight(grams) 494g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 18mm