Research reports on food policies and social structures in Africa - analyses social implications of food self reliance policies, rise of capitalist food production at the expense of the small farm sector, and role of agribusiness; looks at role of rural worker organizations and support of them by nongovernmental organizations, particularly in Burkina Faso; includes case studies of agricultural marketing in Mali, rural development in Benin, livestock in the Congo and capitalist agricultural development in Gabon. Bibliography, statistical tables.

First published in 1999. This book examines process of change in African, South African and European countries by analysing the ways in which food is an integral part of ongoing ecological, economic, political and social transformations. It also provides research on dietary changes from direct intervention by people and agencies. The majority of these fascinating case studies are based on original fieldwork, they are quite diverse, as are the nature and scope of changes considered. The authors discuss rural as well as urban modes of food consumption, dietary changes in different societal contexts, and food-based rituals. The cases presented suggest alterative readings of some established models of changing food habits, and contribute to a more comprehensive history of dietary transformations.

Part of a major report on world hunger instigated by the World Institute for Development Economics Research, this volume deals with possible solutions to the problem of regular outbreaks of famine in various parts of the world.

Friedman and a distinguished group of contributors offer a compelling analysis of globalization and the lethal explosiveness that characterizes the current world order. In particular, they investigate global processes and political forces that determine networks of crime, commerce and terror, and reveal the economic, social and cultural fragmentation of transnational networks. In a critical introduction, Friedman evaluates how transnational capital represents a truly global force, but geographical decentralization of accumulation still leads to declining state hegemony in some areas and increasing hegemony in others. The authors examine the growth and increasing autonomy of indigenous populations, and the massively destabililizing effect of migration processes. They describe the rapid increase in criminalization of ethnic and immigrant groups as well as an increase in class stratification, creating new forms of social confrontation and violence. In addition to ethnic, identity-based conflict there are analyses of transnational criminal networks, which also represents disintegration of larger homogeneous territories or hierarchical orders. The authors ask us to reevaluate the dynamics of globalization—the contradictions of centralization and fragmentation around the world—as we discover how best to transform these conditions for the future. This research was originally funded by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Globalization, the State and Violence will be a valuable reference in anthropology, social theory, international politics and economics, ethnic conflict, immigration, and economic history.