Towards educational inclusion in Bosnia-Herzegovina. “Project ethnography” in development anthropology

Abstract

Over time, the relationship between anthropology and development has been so problematic that today many key issues and open questions remain unresolved in the academic world. Although engaged with post-modernism theoretical legacy, more recently, attention has shifted from these approaches to the work of the development organizations themselves, highlighting the bureaucratic and organizational practices through which their power is exercised. Looking at how international projects actually “work”, the most recent anthropology theories aim to move beyond the negative, critical stance that has been so dominant in the past. Moving from an educational project of decentralized cooperation, this paper hopes to contribute towards demonstrating the importance of “project ethnography” in exploring development policies and practices in post- war Bosnia.