Aidnography

Hi all, Development news : Arms industry does well on refugee and terrorism threats; The hopelessness of Australian refugees in Nauru; hungry children in Northern Nigeria; the future of INGOs; how to sabotage an independent evaluation; the pros & cons of poverty simulation exercises; what’s an ‘aid worker’ anyway?!  Our digital lives : Silicon startup schools; new book on digital humanities & media  Academia : The growing knowledge monopolies of academic publishers Enjoy! New from aidnography Expat Etiquette (book review) One of the key reasons why I recommend the book and happily add it to the supplementary reading list of our courses is that it provides a nice contrast to an increasingly professionalized and securitized environment in which aid ‘takes place’. Do not get me wrong: I am all for well-trained, well-paid and mentally stable professionals who do not simply board a plane to see how things work out for them in a refugee camp in Sudan. But I also want ...

One of the overarching aims of my blog is to engage critically and academically with new, different and alternative approaches to writing and communicating ‘development’. I believe that how we read, discuss and engage with diverse sources shapes our understanding of the ‘aid industry’ and the actors within. As a teacher of communication for development I also believe that we need to expand our media repertoire and that theoretical frameworks and empirical research need to be complemented with contemporary forms of how development is (re)presented in writing, for example in novels, blog posts, long-form journalism or aid worker memoirs. Michael Bear and Liz Good’s Expat Etiquette-How to look Good in Bad places is a very good example of a very contemporary approach to writing about aid and humanitarian work in the ‘field’ of ‘bad places’. The book combines insights from many years of working on development’s ‘frontlines’ with sometimes snarky and ironic self-reflections wrapped nicely...

Hi all, Development news: Aid delivery & kidnapping-the complexities of the humanitarian system; Social accountability and the risk of another buzzword; the business sector will not ‘fix’ development; maternal death, Assam tea & contemporary India; Kenya challenges expat aid work(ers); UN in Congo got caught in local political webs through whistleblower; how to fix philanthropy. Ou r digital lives: How digital humanities have changed us, them & science; design thinking-another buzzword for development? Publication: New article on complexities of women’s engagement in scientific conferencing Academia: A harassment whistleblower on the job market; why more diverse students still benefit from the traditional college lecture. Enjoy! New from aidnography As the Rio 2016 Olympic Games kick off-12 suggestions for stereotypical global media stories As Rio is located in the Southern hemisphere this is an excellent opportunity to rely on some of the (stereo)typical reportin...

As the Olympic Games in Rio are about to kick off, global media will once again have an opportunity to combine fairly apolitical reporting with some of the usually stories that are supposed to bring the host city closer to their home audience. As Rio is located in the Southern hemisphere this is an excellent opportunity to rely on some of the (stereo)typical reporting approaches we already enjoyed during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010. For your convenience I tried to add some ‘ international development ’ spin, a mild dose of othering and at the same time avoid complex structural issues around inequality or, God forbid, political complexity and the capitalistic dynamics of global sports events. So here are 12 leads, headlines or stories that you will likely encounter in similar ways in global media outlets in the next few weeks : · A year ago (NAME) fled Syria, but know s/he is realizing her/his dream and compete in (sport) for (European) country · As the global...

Hi all, Even if it is finally summer in Sweden, there is no break for great readings! Enjoy a sunny weekend-and put critical readings on your devices before you head out :) ! Development news: A powerful commentary on the murder of Qandeel Baloch in Pakistan; turning do-gooder work into solidarity support; Zimbabwe summer? On social media and protest; refugee summit & global governance; ending report writing madness; a research agenda for data-intensive development; the struggle to stay in The Gambia. Our digital lives: Do facts matter in the ICT4D innovation community? Don’t make women in tech talk about being a woman in tech; academic social media. Academia: Are North-South academic collaborations recolonizing knowledge? European anthropologist struggle to acknowledge female contributions, dissecting the UK’s Higher Education White Paper.    Enjoy! New from aidnography In Congo’s Shadow (book review) When all is said and done we are looking at a terrible memoi...

As some regular readers of the blog may know, I do review aid worker’s memoirs , broadly interpreted, as part of my ongoing research in this emerging field of writing popular narratives of development. So my interest in Louise Linton’s book In Congo ’ s Shadow-One Girl ’s Perilous Journey to the Heart of Africa was sparked the moment I came across the excerpt in the now infamous UK Telegraph article that sparked a much broader controversy under the #LintonLies hashtag. And while I contributed to the initial trending viral discussion my aim was always to review the book properly. But since then has been a much broader discussion far beyond her book and its shortcomings, I will also add some broader reflections on the affair towards the end of my post. Welcome to Africa a place of ‘local opportunists’, ‘primitive’ countries and ‘pigeon-like’ people who are ready for ‘snatching and stealing’ (and we are only on page 45). It is 1999 and 18-year old Louise Linton from Edinburgh embarks...

Hi all, Even if I may sound a bit repetitive, but this week once again features some most excellent food for weekend thoughts! Development news : More dignified fundraising images lead to fewer donations; ‘Empowering girls’ through ‘Western’ approaches won’t fix the world; great essay to wrap up #LintonLies-and a new, better memoir on orphanage tourism; automation may kill 90% of garment factory jobs; failing for sustainable palm oil; humanitarian algorithm woes; reflections on action research consultancy; ‘sometimes all you see are other humanitarians’-home and belonging in the aid industry. Our digital lives : Women moderators are no excuse for an #allmalepanel; celebrity power and science communication; viral gatekeepers; how to take care of yourself in the era of wellbeing ideology? Academia : Being an (action) researcher and activist for 4 decades; using big data in social science research. Enjoy! New from aidnography The academic obsession to write about #Brexit Writing about ...