While most people would agree that economic development is an important goal, and understanding of exactly what "economic development" implies, and how to achieve it, are considerably more elusive. Specifically, this paper addresses the concern about whether very small-scale "grassroots-style" development projects for producers--especially petty artisans--really have the potential to make a positive impact on an ailing economy. A case study of a textile weavers' project in rural northern Chuquisaca, Bolivia, among the Jalq's (Quechua-speaking) ethnic group, is presented in detail. The local-level organizations, known as "workshops", which administer this project are analysed along with economic data from households, in order to determine both the advantages of such a project for rural women weavers, and the project's limitations. The implications of a form of organization in which local-level organizations share administrative duties with a larger support organization--in this case, the Sucre-based Antropologos del Surandino (ASUR)--are also discussed. The gains and potential gains made by weavers and their households as a result of this project are not overwhelming, yet they are valuable steps toward increased empowerment and an expansion of economic and social options for the Jalq'a.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.22584 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Eversole, Robyn. |
| Contributors | Attwood, Donald (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Anthropology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001468314, proquestno: MM05381, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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