Böcker i Kultur und soziale Praxis-serien

The emergence of global knowledge societies is recently questioning the meaning and relevance of local knowledge in the context of Southern countries. Women have proved to be the central actors in the multiple channels of local-global networking, using these new social ties for the negotiation of old and new elements of knowledge, scientific knowledge and development discourses. The inherent politicisation of knowledge and the direct objective of transforming societal institutions are not only signs of resistance against global hegemony, but serve for a new definition and for a defence of local culture and of local knowledge.

How is transnational cooperation practically conducted in the East African country of Rwanda, and how is it organised? Can the worlds of development aid and private business be compared?In this ethnography, Robin Pohl identifies the organisational patterns used by Rwandan, European and Indian partners. Different types of agencies, companies or projects each relate foreign activities differently to their local environment. The effects of potential divisions at the global level turn into assets or liabilities on the operative level of transboundary cooperations, depending on their context.

Working with nature - and not against it - is a global trend in coastal management. This ethnography of coastal protection follows the increasingly popular approach of "e;soft"e; protection to the Aotearoa New Zealand coast. Friederike Gesing analyses a political controversy over hard and soft protection measures, and introduces a growing community of practice involved in projects of working with nature. Dune restoration volunteers, coastal management experts, surfer-scientists, and Maori conservationists are engaged in projects ranging from do-it-yourself erosion control, to the reconstruction of native nature, and soft engineering "e;in concert with natural processes"e;. With soft protection, Gesing argues, we can witness a new sociotechnical imaginary in the making.

Jeanne Feaux de la Croix maps three iconic places as part of Central Asians' 'moral geographies' and examines their role in navigating socialist, neo-liberal and neo-Islamic life models.Dams provide most of Kyrgyzstan's electricity, but are also at the heart of regional water disputes that threaten an already shrinking Aral Sea. Mountain pastures cover much of Central Asia's heartland and offer a livelihood and refuge, even to urban citizens. Pilgrimage sites have recovered from official Soviet oblivion and act as cherished scenes of decision-making. Examining how iconic places, work and well-being can mesh together, this book moves debates about post-Soviet memory, space and property onto fresh terrain.