The Daughters of Development: Women and the Changing Environment

by Sinith Sittirak

Rare book

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 1998

Reviews

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strange little book. In many ways it seems a little naive: essentially it is a summary of other people's work on development, with the author's main original contribution being a short exposition about what development has meant for her mother and for herself, as women from a "developing" country (Thailand). She is clearly aware of academic writing conventions, and she does follow them, but often in a way that seems slightly "off", and some of what she says - particularly about prostitution - seems to just slightly miss the point, as if, in this case, she has read a lot about the role of the sex industry in development and international political economy but nothing about prostitution itself.

Nonetheless her summary (which is primarily of the work of Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva - yay!) is exceptionally clear and accessible, and consequently is much faster than reading the original, and her - I hesitate to call it 'analysis' since it is not really hers - conclusions about development are absolutely spot on.

[Nishamil Hayeesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've known this book from Feminist Summer School by Southeast Asia Studies Program at my university (TU). This feminist writing mostly concerned about the 'development' discourse which the author (Sinith) criticized using the evidence about the prostitution problems in Thailand. What I love most is the way she use her mother life and experience to respond the 'westernization of development'.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be a required text in any undergraduate course dealing with development, women and/or environmentalism in the global South. I can't help but think of Sittirak as a Thai Vandana Shiva, though her writing is even more accessible.