Bewitching Development – Witchcraft and the Reinvention of Development in Neoliberal Kenya Illustrated Edition

“Bewitching Development offers a challenging approach to the issue of development and its relationship with witchcraft. In people’s perceptions they are as opposed as for outside experts–yet in daily practice they become intertwined in intriguing ways. In analyzing this shifting balance of opposition and interaction Smith succeeds in opening up new perspectives on both development and witchcraft. His innovative interpretations will have a profound influence on ongoing debates since they touch upon urgent issues–the ambivalent appropriation of development from below, marked by the continuing dynamics of ideas about the occult.”

–Peter Geschiere, University of Amsterdam (4/15/2008 12:00:00 AM)

“Critiques of development abound (most notably offered by proponents of development), as do assertions of the links between magic and modernity. In his exceptional ethnography, James Smith goes beyond the standard anthropological practice of ‘localizing’ these overarching abstractions. Instead, he revitalizes discussion by demonstrating how development provides a lens through which to examine a host of challenging problems, both historical and contemporary, at the regional, national, and, indeed, global level in Kenya. Moreover, Smith develops a highly innovative, and undoubtedly useful way of framing development, not as a measure of economic indicators, but as part of a wider politics of time, as Kenyans (and plainly many others) worry about ‘falling behind’ and ‘getting ahead’ on scales and increments that are interpersonal and political. Words like magical and bewitching are not only the themes of Smith’s work, they also capture the character of his deeply grounded, highly illuminating anthropological interpretations.”

–Brad Weiss, The College of William & Mary (4/15/2008 12:00:00 AM)