Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil
Eve E. Buckley's study of twentieth-century Brazil examines the nation's hard social realities through the history of science, focusing on the use of technology and engineering as vexed instruments of reform and economic development. Nowhere was the tension between technocratic optimism and entrench...
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| Materialtyp: | Online |
| Språk: | engelska |
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The University of North Carolina Press
2023
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| Länkar: | ONIX_20231005_9781469634326_1625 |
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| _version_ | 1869520063199969280 |
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| author | Buckley, Eve E. |
| author_browse | Buckley, Eve E. |
| author_facet | Buckley, Eve E. |
| author_sort | Buckley, Eve E. |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | Eve E. Buckley's study of twentieth-century Brazil examines the nation's hard social realities through the history of science, focusing on the use of technology and engineering as vexed instruments of reform and economic development. Nowhere was the tension between technocratic optimism and entrenched inequality more evident than in the drought-ridden Northeast sertao, plagued by chronic poverty, recurrent famine, and mass migrations. Buckley reveals how the physicians, engineers, agronomists, and mid-level technocrats working for federal agencies to combat drought were pressured by politicians to seek out a technological magic bullet that would both end poverty and obviate the need for land redistribution to redress long-standing injustices. Scientists planned and oversaw huge projects including dam construction, irrigation for small farmers, and public health initiatives. They were, Buckley shows, sincerely determined to solve the drought crisis and improve the lot of poor people in the sertao. Over time, however, they came to the frustrating realization that, despite technology's tantalizing promise of an apolitical means to end poverty, political collisions among competing stakeholders were inevitable. Buckley's revelations about technocratic hubris, the unexpected consequences of environmental engineering, and constraints on scientists as agents of social change resonate with today's hopes that science and technology can solve society's most pressing dilemmas, including climate change. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-115857 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | The University of North Carolina Press |
| publisherStr | The University of North Carolina Press |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1158572026-04-30T10:48:20Z Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil Buckley, Eve E. History Latin American Studies Environmental Science Development Studies thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas thema EDItEUR::T Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Industrial processes::TQ Environmental science, engineering and technology thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTP Development studies Eve E. Buckley's study of twentieth-century Brazil examines the nation's hard social realities through the history of science, focusing on the use of technology and engineering as vexed instruments of reform and economic development. Nowhere was the tension between technocratic optimism and entrenched inequality more evident than in the drought-ridden Northeast sertao, plagued by chronic poverty, recurrent famine, and mass migrations. Buckley reveals how the physicians, engineers, agronomists, and mid-level technocrats working for federal agencies to combat drought were pressured by politicians to seek out a technological magic bullet that would both end poverty and obviate the need for land redistribution to redress long-standing injustices. Scientists planned and oversaw huge projects including dam construction, irrigation for small farmers, and public health initiatives. They were, Buckley shows, sincerely determined to solve the drought crisis and improve the lot of poor people in the sertao. Over time, however, they came to the frustrating realization that, despite technology's tantalizing promise of an apolitical means to end poverty, political collisions among competing stakeholders were inevitable. Buckley's revelations about technocratic hubris, the unexpected consequences of environmental engineering, and constraints on scientists as agents of social change resonate with today's hopes that science and technology can solve society's most pressing dilemmas, including climate change. 2023-10-05T10:50:12Z 2023-10-05T10:50:12Z 2017 book ONIX_20231005_9781469634326_1625 9781469634326 9781469634296 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/115857 eng image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469634319_Buckley The University of North Carolina Press 10.5149/9781469634319_Buckley 10.5149/9781469634319_Buckley f46e5319-8d09-4c63-b9f2-a13480694ab4 0751a847-7118-49a5-b257-d46e0cb99a59 9781469634326 9781469634296 [...] open access |
| spellingShingle | History Latin American Studies Environmental Science Development Studies thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas thema EDItEUR::T Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Industrial processes::TQ Environmental science, engineering and technology thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTP Development studies Buckley, Eve E. Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil |
| title | Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil |
| title_full | Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil |
| title_fullStr | Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil |
| title_short | Technocrats and the Politics of Drought and Development in Twentieth-Century Brazil |
| title_sort | technocrats and the politics of drought and development in twentieth century brazil |
| topic | History Latin American Studies Environmental Science Development Studies thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas thema EDItEUR::T Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Industrial processes::TQ Environmental science, engineering and technology thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTP Development studies |
| topic_facet | History Latin American Studies Environmental Science Development Studies thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas thema EDItEUR::T Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Industrial processes::TQ Environmental science, engineering and technology thema EDItEUR::G Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTP Development studies |
| url | ONIX_20231005_9781469634326_1625 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT buckleyevee technocratsandthepoliticsofdroughtanddevelopmentintwentiethcenturybrazil |