Aidnography

Hi all, The first week of our new semester was busy, but the #globaldev news front was actually a bit quieter...nonetheless some interesting stuff featuring Clooney, Prendergast & the Spice Girls, a strange tale of an American missionary who seems to have practiced medicine without a license in Uganda, a harrowing story about violence & trauma in South Sudan and the extension of imperialism via women at the top of the military-industrial complex & as political ambassadors in Germany... Enjoy! New from aidnography Can you imagine a world without Think Tanks? Perhaps the answers to the title of the post are less rhetorical than the title suggests, but I have been wondering lately what the role of Thinks Tanks in the international development industry really is. (...) It’s 2019 after all and I wonder what would happen if they/many/some weren’t around anymore. Haven’t other institutional arrangements caught up to think-tanky ways of working? Development news 8 things w

This post has been sitting in my draft folder for far too long. I actually do not remember what triggered the first draft, but I seem to remember vaguely that among calls for organizational reforms in higher education or international organizations not enough debate seems to take place on why we need Think Tanks in international affairs & development in their current shape & size... Yes, I typed "Think Tank" into Google Image search... Perhaps the answers to the title of the post are less rhetorical than the title suggests, but I have been wondering lately what the role of Thinks Tanks in the international development industry really is. Don’t get me wrong: Many great colleagues do great work at great thinks tanks and I received my PhD from a prominent institution that works partly as an academic department, partly as a think tank and partly as a consulting firm. But it ’ s 2019 after all and I wonder what would happen if they/many/some weren’t around anymore. H

Hi all,  Busy, satisfying day at work today-so without further delay & a long intro here's this week's link review! Excellent thesis examination day so far! From #Myanmar to #Scotland , #Venezuela , #Sweden & #Chile our students cover amazing #globaldev & #C4D ground! — ComDev Malmö University (@mahcomdev) January 18, 2019 Enjoy! New from aidnography How men fit into the quest for more women leaders in global health “Sitting in the literal back row and listening to female participants is an important role to show the physical presence but at the same time take yourself back and say ‘I’m actually here to listen,’” he said. “Men as listeners is still an important way of showing solidarity, support, and empathy to the issue.” Research has also found that women are less likely to ask questions at a panel discussion if the first person to speak in the audience is a man, Denskus explained. Therefore, making a conscious effort to ensure a woman speaks f

Hi all, Happy New Year! The 2019 blogging year is already in full swing and my first link review is not even attempting to 'catch up' with stuff from the holidays; I included a few interesting pieces from December for good measure, but essentially we are celebrating a new year!   Enjoy! New from aidnography My development blogging year 2018 in review I looked at the top blog posts and book reviews for 2018 and I think that they quite nicely represent some of the bigger debates the #globaldev community grappled with last year. From Hollywood to Holy Wars (book review) In the end, From Hollywood to Holy Wars (despite the slightly cheesy title…) delivers a well-balanced memoir in which Cherie Hart finds a really nice balance between critical reflection on her UN work without descending into snark and sharing an aid worker life with the right dose of work-life balance. Hopefully her easy-going book will inspire more women to write about their experiences ‘in development

I will keep my blogging review of 2018 a bit shorter than in previous years, e.g. 2017 , 2016 or 2015 . That’s mainly because two of my blog posts this year already addressed broader questions of development blogging, writing and curating in more general terms: So is development blogging dead then – and is it about shorter attention spans, the rise of videos or podcasts - or perhaps something about men? I asked in The development blogging crisi s (January 2018). And by-way of celebrating my 300th link review I reflected on My key learnings about #globaldev 20 years after I took my first undergrad course (November 2018). I also looked at the top blog posts and book reviews for 2018 and I think that they quite nicely represent some of the bigger debates the #globaldev community grappled with last year. My top 5 new blog posts in 2018 The Office meets global politics: New sitcom on life inside the United Nations (March 2018) I caught up with the creators of The Mission Marie