Human Development as Transformative Practice

Joseph Tharamangalam is Professor Emeritus in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Mount Saint Vincent University  (MSVU) in Halifax, Canada, and Adjunct Professor in International Development Studies at the neighboring Saint Mary’s University in the same city. His areas of research and publications have included peasant and agricultural labour movements, issues of agrarian distress and agrarian transition, and issues of secularism and religious conflict -- with specific focus on India.  In the past 15 years his work has focussed on “models of Human Development,”  investigating how a few countries and regions have succeeded in achieving relatively high levels of human and social well-being and  rapid progress in poverty reduction despite low incomes and without waiting for the elusive "trickle down "effect” of high growth as, advocated by the World Bank and other  global institutions promoting  “development” in the poor countries of the global South. From 2004 to 2010 he led a small team of scholars from Canada, Cuba and Kerala to make a comparative study of the HD experience of Kerala and Cuba.  Now retired after 40 years of full time teaching at MSVU, he continues to offer a course on “Development Issues in India” at Saint Mary’s University. He and wife, Elzy live in Halifax, but spend the winter months in Bangalore, India.