We are delighted to announce that Displaced: The Human Cost of Development and Resettlement – based on oral testimonies recorded as part of a Panos London project – has been awarded the Edgar Graham Book Prize 2013.

This academic prize from the School of African and Asian Studies, University of London, is awarded for a work of original scholarship on development in Asia and Africa.  Authors Olivia Bennett and Christopher McDowell are particularly pleased that the judges commended its “exemplary use of oral testimony”.

The heart of the book draws on over 300 interviews with the displaced, gathered over several years in different countries and development situations as part of an international resettlement project, for which McDowell was the advisor.  The judges agreed that Displaced  was “highly readable” and represented “a notable achievement, which is original, accessible and vivid without compromising intellectual integrity”.

Olivia Bennett founded Panos London’s Oral Testimony Programme, and is a co-director of Oral Testimony Works.  The award is a great acknowledgement of the effort, wisdom and expertise that went into the book and of the importance of listening to the perspectives and experiences of those most affected by development.

For more information on the book please see Panos’ press release from 2012 and Olivia’s blog on the Panos website from the same time.

Copies (including e-books) are available from Palgrave.com and other sites. All royalties to Oral Testimony Works to support further oral testimony projects with marginalised groups around the world.

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