Displaced by Development Projects

Displaced: The Human Cost of Development and Resettlement (Palgrave Macmillan) is a new book that is due out in May 2012. Here's the description:

Although displacement is commonly associated with refugees fleeing conflict, millions of people are resettled every year in the name of development and progress. Many of these individuals endure social and cultural disruption as well as economic upheaval, and a significant number never regain their former quality of life. Despite this, the voices of those with direct experience of displacement are rarely heard. Displaced seeks to redress this, bringing together oral histories that reveal the loss of cultural continuity and identity, shifts in family responsibilities and gender roles, and fractured relationships between generations that are just some of the challenges people face as they attempt to rebuild lives and communities. Although these narratives are suffused with regret and a sense of loss, they also demonstrate resourcefulness and resilience in the face of profound change. Development's social cost continues to be under-reported; these stories are a crucial reminder of its often devastating consequences.

The book draws on oral histories collected as part of Panos' "Tales of Resettlement" project, which gathered testimonies in Botswana/Namibia, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Pakistan, and Zambia/Zimbabwe.

Other recent publications include:

The ADB Involuntary Resettlement Policy: Fifteen Years On, the Poorest Still Bear the Brunt of Development (TerraNullius, Feb. 2012) [text]

Derailed: A Study on the Resettlement Process and Impacts of the Rehabilitation of the Cambodian Railway (Bridges Across Borders Cambodia, 2012) [text]

Development Projects vs. Internally Displaced Populations in India: A Literature Based Appraisal, COMCAD Working Paper, no. 103 (Center on Migration, Citizenship and Development, 2011) [text]

"Development-induced Community Resettlement," Chapter 11 in New Directions in Social Impact Assessment: Conceptual and Methodological Advances (Edward Elgar, Feb. 2012) [info]

Impacts of Large Dams: A Global Assessment (Springer, Jan. 2012) [info]

- Includes such chapters as "Resettlement Outcomes of Large Dams," "Hydrodevelopment and Population Displacement in Argentina," and "Resettlement and Rehabilitation: Lessons from India."

"They Took Everything from Me": Forced Evictions, Unlawful Expropriations, and House Demolitions in Azerbaijan’s Capital (Human Rights Watch, Feb. 2012) [text]

Tagged Publications.