Anthropologists and sociologists seek to move beyond the impasse that resulted from the recognition of development as neocolonial, to re-perceive and so re-orient development practice as a potentially positive force. They highlight concrete practices through which development is enacted, and the specific social realities that ideas of development frame. Among their topics are contrasting aspects of knowledge work in international development and anthropology, recursive partnerships in global development aid, rethinking peripheral urban social situations in Brazil, differentiating development in Vanuatu, and the transformation of compassion and the ethics of interaction within charity practices. The 15 essays are from a September 2008 workshop Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)