Geographies of Developing Areas: The Global South in a Changing World

This significant new textbook questions traditional conceptions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean to provide a new understanding of the `Global South', highlighting the rich diversity of regions that are usually only viewed in terms of their `problems'. Providing a positive but critical approach to a number of key issues affecting these important areas, the book:

    examines the ways in which the Global South is represented, and the values at play
    explores how the South is shaping, and being shaped by, global economic, political and cultural processes
    looks at peoples' lives and identities
    assesses the possibilities and limitations of different `development' strategies.

A timely assessment of the way global processes are perceived from the Global South, the book is illustrated with over sixty colour photographs. It includes a full glossary of key terms, case studies from fieldwork conducted across a range of communities and nations, and introductions to the wider literature in this field.

This is a wonderful new textbook for all students interested in Human Geography and Development Studies.

Review:

This is a big book which takes as its canvas much of the world. But it is also one which draws on the personal experiences of the three authors. In clear prose and with boxes, illustrations and supporting tables and figures, the authors liberate developing areas from the distorting shadow of development, imbuing their populations with agency and individuality. Like the best geography books, it ranges across scales, draws on evidence from every quarter, and knits together an argument and a position that is at once sufficiently structured to give clarity and direction, and sufficiently nuanced to emphasise difference and stress the contingency of the world.

Jonathan Rigg, Department of Geography, University of Durham, UK

Geographies of Developing Areas is a path breaking textbook. It offers teaching resources drawing on experiences in the Global South across most sub-fields of Human Geography. It means that undergraduate Geography curricula can now easily reflect the concerns of a wider world. The text is exceptionally well presented, with a lively and accessible writing style. As it draws on the detailed contemporary research and personal field experiences of the authors, it easily engages the reader. It will be a great boost to geography teaching in many different contexts."

Jenny Robinson, Open University, UK

Glyn Williams, Paula Meth and Katie Willis are to be congratulated for their innovative and clear account of the lives and circumstances in the global South. Their central point - that 80 percent of the world's population deserves more systematic attention from 'mainstream' geography - comes across convincingly and informatively. Skilfully weaving the latest research into a structured and highly accessible point-by-point discussion, this book is a welcome addition to human geography resources and suitable for a range of undergraduate courses.

Sarah Radcliffe, University of Cambridge, UK

This book is a telling contribution to comparative understanding of the majority world. Blending vignettes with high quality commentary, the book will be a major resource for scholars and students alike, offering a beautifully written overview of the social, political, economic and cultural geographies of developing nations. The text departs from standard development debates to probe contemporary social processes shaping people's lives in the global south. It will become a standard reference for development geographers and deserves to be read by human geographers and anthropologists much more broadly; a terrific achievement.