The Political Economy of Poverty and Social Transformations of the Global South

ROSENBERG, AARON L.; FÉLIZ, MARIANO

ibidem-Verlag

Lugar: Stuttgart; Año: 2017 p. 272

978-3-8382-0914-2

The simple truth which these versions of poverty effectively obfuscate is,we would like to argue here, the real and most important aspect of thisphenomenon. The chapters contained herein utilize a variety of methods,including both qualitative and quantitative strategies, in order toilluminate the various and changeable natures of poverty in the GlobalSouth. One element which they all have in common, however, is an emphasison an understanding of poverty as what can be called a ?livedexperience.? That is, the authors here strive to do much more than merelyfocusing upon purely quantifiable aspects of poverty as lack and deprivation,facts and figures which can be approached, collected, and disposedof in an apparently abstract and sterile manner. Instead, the studiesundertaken in this volume seek to study poverty in an integrativemanner, maintaining a comprehensive vision throughout. The lives ofindividuals living in poverty are affected by and in turn influence an immensevariety of social factors, forces, and histories. These elementsexist at personal, local, national, and international levels, often simultaneously.It is imperative, therefore, that any scholar grappling with issuesof contemporary poverty delve into these complex and interwovencircumstances with both sensitivity and a flexibility of intellectual spiritwhich allow him or her to both describe and understand the phenomenaof poverty as a multiplicity of feelings and encounters?which are bothsubjective and objective, scientific and emotional. The responses thatpeople have to their lives can and should be a central part of our effortsto explore the geographies of poverty and to ameliorate the severity ofthese circumstances. Such a variegated approach to poverty as bothproblem and reality allows all parties involved to be heard and considered,ideally at any and all stages of the interpretive process, startingwith the initial scholarly intervention and leading all the way up to thedevelopment and implementation of any relevant policy measures. Eachchapter, therefore, capitalizes on these multiple potentialities.