Aidnography

I am honored to kick off the week with a powerful guest post by my colleague Ami V. Shah, Assistant Professor of Global Studies & Anthropology at Pacific Lutheran University . We have been discussing many issues around decolonization for a while and I am thrilled that she shares her reflections here on Aidnography ! Ami also tweets as SeenFromAfar . Dear Colonialism, I’m writing a letter to you, because I’m not sure you’ll listen when I talk. You claim that you want to come back to my house, and that in fact, your visit will be good for me. Dear colonialism, I do not agree. Especially since you have yet to leave my house. When you arrived you were uninvited. I do not need to document the tragedies that unfolded under your watch. I do not need to document the painful legacies that you created. Others have done so more eloquently, devastatingly, and, indeed, empirically than I might right now in this short letter. You might want to consult with them. You claim that you have been ign...

Hi all, I am back in Sweden again with this week's link review features interesting food for thought in all major sections! Development news: Aid sector dealing with #AidToo; exploitation & abuse of female farm workers across Europe; UN comms & fake news in historical perspective; women empowerment through the gig economy in Pakistan; lessons from advocating against UK tax havens; humanitarian news survey results; business journalism in Africa; how to work with national staff. Our digital lives: Conference swag & plastic garbage; op-eds change minds; the algorithmic future of finding jobs. Academia: Megan Fox & pseudo-archeology on TV; Nepal's largest university is still in ruins after the earthquake; online-only courses may not be that inclusive; how to engage with fragility & injustice in field research. Enjoy! Development news #MeToo sex scandals spur interest in standards for the aid sector Standards in general are not a barrier to new or small N...

Hi all, Critical food for thought and uplifting stories from around the #globaldev world from Nepal, Rwanda, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Colombia, the US and the UK and from inside large aid organization - with a little sprinkling of tweet-able insights. Enjoy! Development news Nepal's female masons dig deep to lay foundations for change and renewal “Some people complained that it would take women two months to build it, but we finished it on schedule in a month,” she says. “People acknowledge that we are capable now, even if they do not specifically praise us.” Because of her building work, Ranjana is earning an income for the first time – about £6 a day. “I used to be totally dependent on my husband’s money, but now I can contribute to the children’s expenses. I can stand on my own feet.” Sharmila Tamang has become a contractor, overseeing the building of 12 houses, with three more under way. “I do contracted work as if I was building my own house. People say I work hard. We women h...

Hi all, I think this week's review has all the features of yet another enjoyable read-if I say so myself :) ! There is Jeff Sachs, pertinent career advice (two weeks-that's how long it takes before you are forgotten once you left an organization), fundraising dilemmas, ivory trade in Uganda, manufacturing success in Vietnam, One Laptop Per Child again, a cautionary tale on mobile phones, the tale of two UNESCO chairs for ICT4D, safeguarding policies in Haiti-and pop-up skyscrapers for disaster zones... Elon Musk wants you to walk out of meetings, blockchain is overrated + more snarky tweets on technology. New articles on fieldwork ethics, Australian public opinion on aid policy & #CommunicationSoWhite. And finally some anthropological insights into changing inequalities around giving birth in Mexico! Enjoy! New from aidnography Squeezing development research juice out of the Millennium Village Project evaluation There is no doubt that the MVP debate will find its way ...