Shit Talk: Culture, Open Defecation, & Development in Rural India
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2015
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
Despite decades of state intervention, open defecation (OD)-the disposal of human feces in open spaces and open bodies of water-is more prevalent in India than many of the poorest countries in the world. In order to understand this puzzle, this thesis examines how cultural norms shape the practice of OD in rural India and uses this case study to understand how development initiatives can engage with culture in an empowering manner for the poor. I use literature on culture and development politics, empirical studies on OD, governmental sources, and my own primary research conducted in my hometown Bangalore, India, to highlight the importance, challenges, and benefits of engaging culture in anti-OD policies. Culture influences gender norms, social relations, and ideas of purity, dignity and cleanliness, which in turn determine sanitation norms. Thus, I conclude that 1) culture is one of the critical variables that explains the persistence of OD in rural India, 2) anti-OD programs that address culture will achieve better results, and 3) culture should be the core component of anti-OD programs because it influences both toilet construction and usage. The case study also highlights the tensions among culture, development, and top down and bottom up approaches, all of which contribute to the continued disempowerment of already vulnerable groups and the poorest of the poor. In such situations, development practitioners and community members must choose which ideas of dignity and empowerment they are willing to keep and which to compromise. Additionally, this thesis argues that both OD and development are multidimensional issues that should be studied from multiples lenses, including a cultural approach.