Aidnography

Hi all,  This week's link review is guaranteed free from the other topic that has been dominating this week's news...we are focusing on changing power dynamics in #globaldev, overlooked crises & much more! Enjoy! My quotes of the week Making decisions about how to support marginalised groups without their input also means that we are holding up – rather than challenging - the power hierarchies that enable inequality and oppression. When financial support is flowing primarily from the Global North to the Global South, for example, it’s still actors in the Global North deciding where the money goes and often, how it is spent. (Sharing Power) Indeed, before the word “desertification” was coined in the 1920s by a French colonial forester, western imperial powers had executed many different programs to try to curtail the perceived spread of deserts and also to try to “restore” the drylands to productivity. Underlying these attempts was a complex, long-standing, and primarily Ang

I actually read Ulf Laessing’s Understanding Libya Since Gaddafi during my summer break and finally finished turning my initial notes into a longer review. Ulf Laessing’s book is not a happy read, but he finds an excellent tone to move beyond headlines and stereotypes, the ‘failed state’ narrative that all too often dominates mainstream discussions. In his book Libya comes to life between historical observations, journalistic insights and a detailed academic engagement with the country. Libya’ modern, 20th century history starts with another aspect of Northern power plays and extended colonialism: In Libya, independence was a result of neither ancient heritage nor armed struggle-it was a country created by world powers (p.21) A clueless international community Fast forward to the end of the Gaddafi regime and what strikes me more than once is how clueless the ‘international community’ seems after 25 years of dealing with post-war peacebuilding: ‘ It was a time when Western governments

Hi all,  A long week is coming to a well-deserved end...we examined great student blog projects this week and I also read really nice communication plans that make teaching during such a difficult time very worthwhile-even if that meant that I had to miss quite a few interesting panels elsewhere. Quite a few interesting readings still appeared on my radar and I am happy share them with you! My quotes of the week “What prompts people to give is an emotional connection – that doesn’t have to be pity,” said Davison. “It can be joy, it can be anger, it can be a sense of positivity and hope.” (Comic Relief stops sending celebrities to African countries) The logic of international development still relies on reproducing the same destructive economic model that drives inequality, environmental destruction, and climate breakdown. Aid is a precious and powerful resource for influencing norms and behaviour, providing global public goods, and protecting the most vulnerable. But following the sam

Hi all, The one great thing about compiling my weekly review is that I never really know what will end up here on Friday...the Art Deco legacy of Karachi? AOC campaigning on Twitch? Another #globaldev abuse scandal in Sudan? A new documentary on Equatorial Guinea? A photo-storytelling project from a women's prison in Moldova? Or a new article on environmental celebrity tropes? Well, they all in this week's review-so explore, read, enjoy and share! My quotes of the week That brings us back to the Peace Prize – the only one of the Nobel Prizes that can – for unclear reasons – be bestowed upon institutions. Does WFP as the UN’s largest humanitarian body with an approx US$8 billion budget really need the medal, diploma, and modest US$1 million money? Will it make any difference to countering the record levels of world hunger or progressing peace anywhere? (Peace continues to elude the Nobel Prize) Whiteness is a highly malleable category (who is considered white has changed a lot