Aidnography

Hi all, We are in the middle of packing boxes and prepare for the move to a new apartment next week, so I’ll keep the intro short: Development news: Angelina Jolie & how celebrities shouldn’t engage in distant places; how much ODA is really spend on #globaldev? Can Gueterres disrupt UN bureaucracy? Uranium mining in Niger; once and for all: Don’t send your old stuff abroad/to refugees! Uganda’s new activism; the IMF’s social protection thinking is behind the curve; Gentrifying Kibera-Kenya’s well-known slum; Kony’s bodyguard talks; perceptions of poverty of India’s urban youngsters; Sean Penn has a new terrible aid work(er) movie out; the trouble with caste-free Bollywood movies; is the world really better than ever? Our digital lives: Participatory community mapping; how to ace narrative writing; the gendered challenges of paying women in exposure and as influencers; where are the mothers in news rooms? Publication : Digital anthropology from the fields.  Aca...

After Duncan Green mentioned George Monbiot’s career advice and added some reflections from his aid industry policy angle , I am yet another (white) man with a stable career – this time in academia – who is supposed to tell you how to get ‘there’… I am probably the most careful one when it comes to the ‘follow your passion’ discourse. George Monbiot is not writing about the aid industry In fact, two of his three routes he outlines are potentially quite terrible in connection with international development: Just going to the field and ‘doing it’ sounds like a voluntourism disaster to happen and ‘if you are fed up with mainstream employers just create your own brand’ (Monbiot uses slightly more radical and less creative industry language) will also lead to a challenging ‘career’-even with some professional experience under your belt. To be honest, I find Monbiot’s reflections really not that helpful as there is little room for balance with other aspects of your existence: Working for a...

Hi all, Did I mention that 'summer' has so far passed by the South of Sweden and I am finishing this review on a November-like gloomy afternoon...anyway, there is lots to discover this week-regardless of whether you are going to read on a beach, in the office or in front of a cozy fireplace ;)! Development news: Orphanages and exploitation in Haiti ; Somali piracy reloaded; African academics and their wish list for the WHO director; The G20 and the limitations of its Compact With Africa; inside the dysfunctional UN in Myanmar ; remittances, rice & real estate in Nepal ; Kathmandu’s wood carvers; reviewing emergency shelters; lunch meetings are a terrible idea; Americans want to help homeless people, but…; social justice orthodoxies; South African poets on writing & changing minds. Our digital lives: Reclaiming social entrepreneurship; the trouble with Bridge academies; a 4,000 USD Renault for India ; why study journalism these days?  Publications: M...

Hi all, Despite the lack of sun in Sweden, this post still counts as a ‘summer post’…  Development news: The war in South Sudan ; failing to learn from Biafra in Nigeria ; Aga Khan’s 60 year of slow development; Rwanda really wants to ban second-hand clothing; a closer look at peacekeeping cuts in DRC ; Liberia after Ebola; Cash transfers in Kenya ; Madonna in Malawi ; Beyonce and Burundi , Ashton Kutcher and US gender quality-the special celebrity section! World Bank & ILO whitewash in Uzbekistan ; Philip Morris lobbies in India to undermine global governance; coming to a Bollywood theatre near you: Toilet: A Love Story. Disaster of the week: Brookings Think Tanker runs aground off Crimea …  Our digital lives: Use facebook groups ! Check out an archive of 700 Oxfam campaign posters ! Start a revolution ! Publications: Women of color and gendered harassment in science; are women paying a higher price for UN careers ? Your advisor’s gender can determine academic ...