Becoming One

International development programs strive not only to alleviate poverty but to transform people, aid workers and recipients alike. Becoming One grapples with this process by exploring the work of OISCA, a prominent Japanese NGO in central Myanmar. OISCAs postwar origins at the intersection of Shinto, secularism, and rightwing politics, and its vision of inter-Asian solidarity and a sustainable future helped shape the organizations ideology and activities. By delving into the world of its aid workerstheir everyday practices, discourses, and aspirationsauthor Chika Watanabe seeks to understand the NGOs political, social, and ethical effects. At OISCA training centers, Japanese and local staff teach sustainable agricultural skills and organic farming methods to rural youth. Much of the teaching involves laboring in the fields, harvesting produce, and caring for livestock: what they cant use themselves is sold at nearby markets. Watanabes detailed and multi-sited ethnography shows how Japanese and Burmese actors mobilize around the idea of becoming one with Mother Earth and their human counterparts within a shared communal lifestyle. By exploring the tension between intentions and political effectsspanning environmentalism, cultural-nationalist ideologies of Japaneseness, and aspirations to make the world a better placeWatanabe highlights fascinating questions and both positive and negative outcomes. Becoming One