Dispossession without Development

Levin's Dispossession without Development exhibits the best of U.S. Sociology: rich empirical data, causal argumentation, and generalizable claims. * Dana Kornberg, University of Michigan, Social Forces *
This scholarly masterpiece contributes to the existing body of literature on land dispossession and capitalism in general and critical sociology of land dispossession. * Animesh Roy, Giri Institute of Development Studies, American Journal of Sociology *
This book offers a novel analysis of the mechanisms and consequences of economic dispossession. Based on long-term ethnographic immersion, Levien shows how peasants are maneuvered into giving up their land. This is a must read for anyone interested in development and markets-destined to become a classic of political economy." - Michael Burawoy, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley
Levien shows precisely how state land acquisition in the name of development impoverishes the vulnerable, amplifies inequalities, and fractures collective identities. Amidst the self-congratulatory clamor around the story of India ascendant, when tall claims triumph over facts, this sober and compelling book is all the more valuable." - Amita Baviskar, Professor of Sociology, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi
This is a masterful study of how macro forces are refracted through local dynamics of caste, class, and gender to produce inequality. It stands out not only as a seminal theoretical statement on the sociology of land dispossession, but also as critical to our understanding of the on-the-ground effects of development in contemporary India." - Patrick Heller, Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Brown University
Dispossession without Development is a tour de force, establishing a new benchmark for a critical sociology of postcolonial societies. Levien combines immersive ethnography with analytical rigor to show the devolution of the Indian developmental state into a land-broker. This is historically informed public sociology at its finest." - Manu Goswami, Associate Professor of History, NYU