"Alf Walle, a well-known applied anthropologist, provides a clear-eyed, searching analysis of the complex issues related with indigenous, ethnic, and rural peoples all over the world fight to effectively solve the problems caused by outside economic and social intervention. A fascinating and accessible book, which is a signal achievement that is sure to raise the level of discussion with the discipline and become essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of indigenous, ethnic, and rural peoples, as well as the future of applied anthropology."Robert Guang Tian, Professor and Dean of Applied Anthropology Institute, Jishou University, PRC"Alfe Walle essentially provides a handbook for reducing the distance between organizations engaged economic and social development and those populations—rural enclaves, ethnic minorities, indigenous people, distinctive cultural groups—who may not share the same understandings, values and goals of such development. Walle’s goal, the meaningful participation of affected communities in development, and their equitable sharing of benefits, is both rational and humane. His work covers methods of encounter, ways of working together, means of conflict resolution, strategy assessment, and evaluation and uses a wide array of examples from the United States and around the globe. In a world experiencing increasing globalization and its discontents and challenges to universal views of development, Walle’s work is a welcome guide that can help theoreticians and practitioners—and community leaders, members and advocates do their work in a more self-conscious, better way."Richard Kurin, Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador at Large, Smithsonian Institution, USA"I am delighted to endorse Alf Walle’s book titled Indigenous and Ethnic Empowerment. This books aim is to provide theoretical and applied knowledge for indigenous, ethnic, and rural peoples who are struggling to overcome economic and social intervention that is external to them. The manuscript provide local leaders fundamental issues that they need to learn and understand to make better choices and articulate aims and objectives for better quality of life for their communities. This is a very unique book because it is examining big changes that are evolving due to globalization and most locals are not prepare to deal with these challenges. This is the only book in this domain which articulate strategies to enhance 'cultural issues in a holistic and integrated manner.' In an eleven chapter book he presents economic, cultural, organizational, managerial, and other relevant subjects for locals to advance. It is great to see this book in print and I would recommend it to my university library to purchase it and ask my colleagues to choose it for their economic development and other appropriate courses."Nader Asgary, CYRUS Institute of Knowledge President, Prof. of Management and Economics, and former Associate Provost, Bentley University, USA
