Much has been written about industrialisation and the growth of economies transforming people’s lives, but little is written about how industrialisation can transform ethnicity within countries. In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, IDS Research Fellow Max Gallien, interviews Elliot D. Green as they discuss: Industrialisation and Assimilation: Understanding Ethnic Change in the Modern World.
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The podcast explains how and why ethnicity changes across time, showing that, by altering the basis of economic production from land to labour and removing people from the rural life, industrialisation makes societies more ethnically homogenous. More specifically, the it argues that industrialisation lowers the relative value of rural land, leading people to identify less with narrow rural identities in favour of broader identities that can aid them in navigating the formal urban economy.
This podcast is essential listening for those interested in industrialisation, globalisation and how industry affects ethnic and cultural change.
About the author
Elliott D. Green is Associate Professor of Development Studies in the Department of International Development at the London School of Economics. His research focusses on the origins of ethnic and national identification and the political economy of development, with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
About the interviewer
Max Gallien is an IDS Research Fellow in the governance cluster and with the International Centre for Taxation and Development (ICTD) where he leads the research programme on informality and taxation with Vanessa van den Boogaard, alongside the ICTD’s capacity building programme. He specialises in the politics of informal and illegal economies, the political economy of development and the modern politics of the Middle East and North Africa.
About the Between the Lines podcast
This podcast series explores ground-breaking ideas in development for positive social and environmental change. Each month we feature an interview with an expert in international development who will talk about their latest research and ideas.
Episodes content could feature authors of new books, IDS research or interviews with special guest stars.
The discussions give an insight on the themes covered, exploring the challenges and discoveries, and why the issues matter for progressive and sustainable development globally.
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