Dissertation Research: Processes of Economic and Social Change in Tanzania

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This project supports the dissertation research of a student of cultural anthropology in a fishing region of Tanzania. The project will investigate how recent projects of economic development have impacted the roles and status of women. Using ethnographic methodology of participant observation, structured interviews and examination of archives the study will describe the nature of women's involvement in the artesenal fishing industry and attempt to understand the impacts of recent development projects on the status of women. The student is well-prepared for the research by virtue of previous experiences in Africa on fishery development projects. This research is important because it will add a case study to the literature on the (detrimental) impact of development on women, with special focus on means by which projects can benefit women (and the dependent children they care for). Focusing on this issue in a fishing community will provide information of value to development planners, to avoid the mistakes of the past whereby development projects were keyed to the needs of men on the assumption that the benefits would flow directly to women and children.