Week 4 Discussion Qs

1) In Chen's piece, the negative side-effects of infrastructure are highlighted with regard to street workers (e.g. wholesale traders and truckers begin making use of market-dominated roads as thoroughfares). In Cohen, Bhatt, and Horn's article, however, infrastructure is glorified as a "catalyst" for microenterprise. How can we reconcile these two views?

2) Both Chen and Ganguly-Scrase recognize the fact that while globalization is often heralded as a positive force in development, women often "fall through the cracks." Does resisting globalization even makes sense? Aren't there ways of working through the forces of globalization to help women overcome their often underprivileged status? I think the readings provide a lot of insight here.

3) The issue of legitimacy was consistently raised in the readings, whether directly or indirectly. Does legitimizing women's work solve the problem of legitimizing women's changing social position (amidst globalization, privatization)? For instance, would accurately representing women's work in formal statistics naturally yield a higher amount of respect for women socially?