Development cooperation in the 21st century : looking beyond the surface

Abstract

Many years ago I read Fernand Braudel’s “The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II” and it left an indelible impression on me. Has the reader heard of Braudel’s great work? The Mediterranean and its development – from its geological evolution to the end of the 16th century – is a fascinating subject. It is not the subject matter itself that makes the book unforgettable, it is Braudel’s genius in piecing together the enormous quantity of material to create an epic work. He first presents the reader with an almost static history, describing the geology, geography and the climate of the region, a history that indicates only very slow, hardly perceptible changes. Things happen over and over again; cycles recur through the work. Braudel focuses on the seasons, the maritime storms, the wanderings of the shepherds, the ways in which the mountains and rivers shape human history and ways of thinking and doing things. And we are led to understand such remarks as his observation that mountain dwellers are more conservative than people who live on the plains.