Tobias Denskus
Malmö University, School of Arts & Communication, Faculty Member
- Development anthropology, War and violence, Development Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies, Action Research, Post-Liberal Peace, and 14 moreLiberal Peacebuilding, Fragile States, Reflective Practice, Foreign Aid, Peace and Conflict Studies, Peacebuilding, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Digital Media & Learning, New Media, Communication, ICT4D, International Development, Digital Culture, and Humanitarianismedit
- I am an Associate Professor in Development Studies at Malmö University in Sweden teaching in our blended learning onl... moreI am an Associate Professor in Development Studies at Malmö University in Sweden teaching in our blended learning online MA program in Communication for Development which was established in 2000.
My research focuses on digital development communication topics, e.g. development blogging, the use of Twitter in international policy arenas as well as critical research on TED talks and changing professionalism in the aid industry. I am also interested in aid worker (auto)biographies as a new literary genre in media and communication studies.
I blog regularly as 'Aidnography' with a focus on popular (re)presentations of development in mainstream media.
Specialties:
Communication, social change, social media, peacebuilding, humanitarianism, aid, development studiesedit
In this paper, I am arguing that engaging with online social media in the form of curating a regular development blog column is a simple, yet effective way to provide decolonised resources in the context of development studies teaching,... more
In this paper, I am arguing that engaging with online social media in the form of curating a regular development blog column is a simple, yet effective way to provide decolonised resources in the context of development studies teaching, research and communication.
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At the time of finalizing this entry, the New York Times published an article Where Countries Are Tinderboxes and Facebook Is a Match on how Facebook has become a platform that facilitates sectarian violence in Sri Lanka, fueled by a... more
At the time of finalizing this entry, the New York Times published an article Where Countries Are Tinderboxes and Facebook Is a Match on how Facebook has become a platform that facilitates sectarian violence in Sri Lanka, fueled by a newsfeed of misinformation of the rapidly growing social media platform.
Discussions about the power of the corporations behind these platforms, for example, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or messaging applications, indicate that there is no singular, universal, or unilateral way in which social media have been contributing to peacebuilding.
An entry on social media and peacebuilding can provide a snapshot of some of these discussions that have been taking place in the ICT4D or media and communication fields. They show that enthusiasm about digital opportunities has been met with new realities of platform power, multifaceted political interference, and general concerns of how citizens and communities can harness the power of these global platforms for creating societies the mirror values of liberal peace paradigms. Therefore, this entry must discuss unfulfilled opportunities, an often naïve belief in digital tools, but also outline a future vision for digital peacebuilding beyond Twitter or Facebook “revolutions.”
The entry outlines four areas for social media and peacebuilding that roughly follow a historical trajectory: from initial “add Internet and stir” extensions of traditional peacebuilding approaches into the digital realm and the enthusiasm of social media “revolutions” and from a backlash from various powerful regimes and actors to a future where issues such as online privacy, data ownership, and the decolonization of tools have become new arenas for conflict prevention, building peace, and contributing to positive social change.
Discussions about the power of the corporations behind these platforms, for example, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or messaging applications, indicate that there is no singular, universal, or unilateral way in which social media have been contributing to peacebuilding.
An entry on social media and peacebuilding can provide a snapshot of some of these discussions that have been taking place in the ICT4D or media and communication fields. They show that enthusiasm about digital opportunities has been met with new realities of platform power, multifaceted political interference, and general concerns of how citizens and communities can harness the power of these global platforms for creating societies the mirror values of liberal peace paradigms. Therefore, this entry must discuss unfulfilled opportunities, an often naïve belief in digital tools, but also outline a future vision for digital peacebuilding beyond Twitter or Facebook “revolutions.”
The entry outlines four areas for social media and peacebuilding that roughly follow a historical trajectory: from initial “add Internet and stir” extensions of traditional peacebuilding approaches into the digital realm and the enthusiasm of social media “revolutions” and from a backlash from various powerful regimes and actors to a future where issues such as online privacy, data ownership, and the decolonization of tools have become new arenas for conflict prevention, building peace, and contributing to positive social change.
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This is an extended blog post from 'Aidnography' based on a very fruitful virtual discussion with a group of development professionals. The discussion addressed many issues I have been mulling over recently-particularly how to break the... more
This is an extended blog post from 'Aidnography' based on a very fruitful virtual discussion with a group of development professionals.
The discussion addressed many issues I have been mulling over recently-particularly how to break the cycle that even good, impactful development initiatives are caught up in, being servants to consumer capitalism and its manifestations in the second decade of the 21st century.
"Our aid industry means different things to different people, but what should unite us in our efforts is a endeavor to keep each other on their toes, use historical insights and new tools to find or redefine spaces for transformation, resistance and change; and those spaces can hardly be purchased through products, giving up our time and good intentions".
The discussion addressed many issues I have been mulling over recently-particularly how to break the cycle that even good, impactful development initiatives are caught up in, being servants to consumer capitalism and its manifestations in the second decade of the 21st century.
"Our aid industry means different things to different people, but what should unite us in our efforts is a endeavor to keep each other on their toes, use historical insights and new tools to find or redefine spaces for transformation, resistance and change; and those spaces can hardly be purchased through products, giving up our time and good intentions".
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The article employs anthropological ritual theory and the concepts of symbolism and liminality to provide a theoretical framework for analyzing ethnographic insights into the academic peace research community in Germany. Using secondary... more
The article employs anthropological ritual theory and the concepts of symbolism and liminality to provide a theoretical framework for analyzing ethnographic insights into the academic peace research community in Germany. Using secondary sources for a broader historical outline, I analyze the evolution of peace research discourses in Germany from the beginnings as a new social movement to a contemporary professionalized policy space in which knowledge discourses are (re)produced. Academic conferences and the routines around presenting theoretical papers have become institutionalized by the ritual dynamics of a small group of organizers and venues, fostering “indoor rituals” that represent transformations of the activities of the “outdoor” peace movement that was active in postwar Germany for many decades.
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Mein kurzer Debattenbeitrag wird sich kritisch und provokativ mit den folgenden drei Fragen auseinandersetzen: Ist die Professionalisierung der Freiwilligendienste ein preiswerter Weg, Zivilgesellschaft zu beschäftigen, ohne dass man... more
Mein kurzer Debattenbeitrag wird sich kritisch und provokativ mit den folgenden drei Fragen auseinandersetzen: Ist die Professionalisierung der Freiwilligendienste ein preiswerter Weg, Zivilgesellschaft zu beschäftigen, ohne dass man kritischen
Dialog fördert?
Läuft die Arbeit der Freiwilligendienste gefahr, sogenannte „bullshit jobs“ zu unterstützen, die der britische Anthropologe David graeber vermehrt in unserem Wirtschaftssystem ausmacht?
Und verlängert Freiwilligenarbeit prekäre Existenzen in einer Endlosschleife von Aus- und Weiterbildung, Selbstoptimierung und nicht-Vollzeitbeschäftigung?
Zum Abschluss erfolgt dann eine (selbst-)kritische Reflexion ob und wie die Professionalisierung kritisch-akademisch begleitet werden kann.
Dialog fördert?
Läuft die Arbeit der Freiwilligendienste gefahr, sogenannte „bullshit jobs“ zu unterstützen, die der britische Anthropologe David graeber vermehrt in unserem Wirtschaftssystem ausmacht?
Und verlängert Freiwilligenarbeit prekäre Existenzen in einer Endlosschleife von Aus- und Weiterbildung, Selbstoptimierung und nicht-Vollzeitbeschäftigung?
Zum Abschluss erfolgt dann eine (selbst-)kritische Reflexion ob und wie die Professionalisierung kritisch-akademisch begleitet werden kann.
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Peacebuilding presents a formidable challenge to anthropology, because it “enframes” our contemporary world in particular ways. In our introduction to the special section on peacebuilding and anthropology we highlight the changing... more
Peacebuilding presents a formidable challenge to anthropology, because it “enframes” our contemporary world in particular ways. In our introduction to the special section on peacebuilding and anthropology we highlight the changing relationship between peace, conflict, culture and academic writing and how the three articles on Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and India-Pakistan address the changing relationships. The articles do not have the intention to present a coherent statement where anthropology “is” in relation to peace and conflict studies. Each of them engages with a different aspect of the discipline and broader question beyond ethnographic fieldwork.
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This article presents the first theoretical and empirical investigation of TED talks in the context of Communication for Development (C4D). We analyze both the content and structure of talks on international development by leveraging... more
This article presents the first theoretical and empirical investigation of TED talks in the context of Communication for Development (C4D). We analyze both the content and structure of talks on international development by leveraging definitions of C4D as well as literature on mediatization, rituals in international relations, and online activism. Our findings suggest that TED talks succeed in disseminating ideas and sparking public interest. At the same time, they reflect institutionalized, corporatized modes of mass communication rooted in elitist discourses and practices. Contrary to popular perceptions, we conclude that while TED talks are an effective vehicle for information dissemination, they are an unlikely catalyst for social change.
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We review the ontological and pedagogical origins of International Development graduate education in the context of increasing pressures to ‘professionalise’ graduate curricula. We apply Giroux’s concept of ‘vocationalisation’ to argue... more
We review the ontological and pedagogical origins of International Development graduate education in the context of increasing pressures to ‘professionalise’ graduate curricula. We apply Giroux’s concept of ‘vocationalisation’ to argue that professionalisation risks undermining the field’s intellectual foundations in an elusive quest to equip students with functional rather than intellectual skills. Acknowledging ever-growing competition among graduates for gainful employment in this sector, we argue that instructors of International Development should recommit to the field’s reflective tradition by creating spaces for transformative education and develop a repoliticised ethos that critically engages global capitalism.
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This article explores performance and ritual theory in the context of anthropological research on peace-building institutions and knowledge discourses, as well as the process of writing up an ethnographic PhD thesis. Based on fieldwork in... more
This article explores performance and ritual theory in the context of anthropological research on peace-building institutions and knowledge discourses, as well as the process of writing up an ethnographic PhD thesis. Based on fieldwork in Germany and Nepal, the article’s aim is to expand the theoretical scope of ‘aidnography’ and apply it to knowledge management, workshops, global conferences and the author’s performance in these spaces. The article analyses how a potentially critical and contested concept such as liberal peace-building has been absorbed by an emerging ritual economy of indoor events, policy papers and transnational actors. These strategies of organisational and professional self-promotion create depoliticised action and products in the context of global aid chain management.
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Social media content generated by web logs (‘blogs’) and Twitter messages (‘tweets’) constitute new types of data that can help us better understand the reproduction of global rituals in the context of international development policies... more
Social media content generated by web logs (‘blogs’) and Twitter messages (‘tweets’) constitute new types of data that can help us better understand the reproduction of global rituals in the context of international development policies and practice. Investigating the United Nations High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS), a three-day event held at UN Headquarters in New York in 2010, as a case study, we examine a sample of 108 blog entries discussing the meeting, as well as 3007 related tweets. We find that topics receiving the densest coverage mirrored existing priorities as defined by the MDGS. Although most blog entries created content which, in contrast to tweets, went beyond spreading mere factual or referential information on the event and even included some critical commentary, sustained debates did not emerge. Our findings suggest that social media content accompanying the Summit reproduced global development rituals and thus failed to catalyse alternative priorities for and approaches to international development.
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Writing weblogs (blogs) has become a substantial part of how development is discussed on the Internet. Based on experiences as blogger, this article is an exploratory case study to approach the impact of blogging on reflective writing,... more
Writing weblogs (blogs) has become a substantial part of how development is discussed on the Internet. Based on experiences as blogger, this article is an exploratory case study to approach the impact of blogging on reflective writing, work practices as well as knowledge management. Based on research with development bloggers and the authors' own social media practice, the article undertakes an analysis of bloggers’ motivations and the potential as well as limitations of blogs for different sectors of the industry, for example in academia, inside aid organisations and in understanding expatriate aid workers. Finally, the article explores the question of whose voice is represented in blogs.
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This research uses structural ritualisation as an approach to study peacebuilding communities in Germany and Nepal. Based on anthropological and sociological literature a ritual theory framework is used to emphasise the importance of... more
This research uses structural ritualisation as an approach to study peacebuilding communities in Germany and Nepal. Based on anthropological and sociological literature a ritual theory framework is used to emphasise the importance of symbolism, liminality and performances for the ethnographic study of aid (aidnography). The analysis of the fieldwork in Germany starts with the peace research community and their workshops, conferences and trainings. Ritualisation processes around acceptable forms of knowledge are the basis on which new policy institutions operate; leaving discourses unchallenged. For example the PEACE network that aims at facilitating learning and knowledge management on peacebuilsing inside German development institutions. Detailed organisational ethnography of the PEACE network and a training event at Germany’s technical cooperation agency provide interesting answers to questions of agency, liminal learning spaces and structural ritualisation. In post-conflict Nepal the research also analyses workshops and conferences as powerful spaces in which stability is maintained during the social transformation processes in the country. Additionally, ethnographic vignettes offer insights into the capillary system of the peacebuilding economy comprising of public, professional and private spaces. Ritual entrepreneurs reinforce capitalistic exchange processes on physical and virtual marketplaces in Kathmandu. In the end, this thesis attempts to use a self-reflective ethnographic approach to highlight the complexities of transnational development professionalism within the discourse of liberal peacebuilding. It also engages with core anthropological concepts of agency and positionality that include the researcher in the research process, thereby highlighting the interaction between traditional anthropology and multi-sited research in the global realm of transnational development work.
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Writing from diverse locations, contributors critically examine some of the key terms in current development discourse. Why should language matter to those who are doing development? Surely, there are more urgent things to do than sit... more
Writing from diverse locations, contributors critically examine some of the key terms in current development discourse. Why should language matter to those who are doing development? Surely, there are more urgent things to do than sit around mulling over semantics? But language does matter. Whether emptied of their original meaning, essentially vacuous, or hotly contested, the language of development not only shapes our imagined worlds, but also justifies interventions in real people's lives. If development buzzwords conceal ideological differences or sloppy thinking, then the process of constructive deconstruction makes it possible to re-examine what have become catch-all terms like civil society and poverty reduction, or bland aid-agency terms such as partnership or empowerment. Such engagement is far more than a matter of playing word games.
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"Monitoring and evaluating international peacebuilding efforts have become more sophisticated over the past years, but still relies on managerial approaches that often do not capture the complexity of war, peace and the grey areas in... more
"Monitoring and evaluating international peacebuilding efforts have become more sophisticated over the past years, but still relies on managerial approaches that often do not capture the complexity of war, peace and the grey areas in between. The article argues that organizations should embrace qualitative
approaches more widely and introduces ethnographic vignettes as one example to explain the complexity of post-conflict situations. By understanding the personal dimension, the life- and workstyles of international peacebuilders, the current evaluation discourse can become more meaningful both for organizational learning and sustainable peace efforts on the ground. The article ends by highlighting some approaches that deserve more attention and that promise to help to critically enhance current and future debates about the evaluation of peacebuilding."
approaches more widely and introduces ethnographic vignettes as one example to explain the complexity of post-conflict situations. By understanding the personal dimension, the life- and workstyles of international peacebuilders, the current evaluation discourse can become more meaningful both for organizational learning and sustainable peace efforts on the ground. The article ends by highlighting some approaches that deserve more attention and that promise to help to critically enhance current and future debates about the evaluation of peacebuilding."
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The concept of peacebuilding is a buzzword of the development policy and practice mainstream. The recent introduction of managerial tools and the focus on measuring the ‘effectiveness’ of peacebuilding have marginalised and depoliticised... more
The concept of peacebuilding is a buzzword of the development policy and practice mainstream.
The recent introduction of managerial tools and the focus on measuring the ‘effectiveness’ of peacebuilding have marginalised and depoliticised critical questions about the causes of
violent conflict, and have replaced them with comforting notions for donors that peace can be built and measured without challenging Western understanding of economy, governance,
and social aspirations of people.
The recent introduction of managerial tools and the focus on measuring the ‘effectiveness’ of peacebuilding have marginalised and depoliticised critical questions about the causes of
violent conflict, and have replaced them with comforting notions for donors that peace can be built and measured without challenging Western understanding of economy, governance,
and social aspirations of people.
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"In some strange and paradoxical way, the rapid ‘‘success’’ of peacebuilding that the UN has been proclaiming in Kathmandu seems to be another blow to the Western model of peacebuilding. The transition from war to peace is proceeding... more
"In some strange and paradoxical way, the rapid ‘‘success’’ of
peacebuilding that the UN has been proclaiming in Kathmandu seems to be another blow to the Western model of peacebuilding. The transition from war to peace is proceeding quite smoothly and the political institutions in the capital city are undergoing significant transformation, yet this transition has yet to make a difference in the lives of most citizens and for the overall ‘‘development’’ of Nepal. In some ways, the current changes are reminiscent of the post-1990 situation when a newly democratized Nepal produced a ‘‘good governance bubble’’ in Kathmandu, but was unable to address many
problems and grievances that led to the violent conflict. Prescribing more of the ‘‘status quo ante’’ medicine—as many donors and international aid organizations continue to do—demonstrates the lack of historical and institutional memory within the development community in general. In other words, the apparent success of the political transformation may signal that peacebuilding can generate stability on the surface, but at the same time fail to achieve its ultimate goal, even under favorable conditions: to contribute to long-term, sustainable development and broad ‘‘poverty reduction’’ in the postconflict environment?"
peacebuilding that the UN has been proclaiming in Kathmandu seems to be another blow to the Western model of peacebuilding. The transition from war to peace is proceeding quite smoothly and the political institutions in the capital city are undergoing significant transformation, yet this transition has yet to make a difference in the lives of most citizens and for the overall ‘‘development’’ of Nepal. In some ways, the current changes are reminiscent of the post-1990 situation when a newly democratized Nepal produced a ‘‘good governance bubble’’ in Kathmandu, but was unable to address many
problems and grievances that led to the violent conflict. Prescribing more of the ‘‘status quo ante’’ medicine—as many donors and international aid organizations continue to do—demonstrates the lack of historical and institutional memory within the development community in general. In other words, the apparent success of the political transformation may signal that peacebuilding can generate stability on the surface, but at the same time fail to achieve its ultimate goal, even under favorable conditions: to contribute to long-term, sustainable development and broad ‘‘poverty reduction’’ in the postconflict environment?"
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Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have come to play a key role in global and European governance. With this new influence and visibility many have begun to worry about their legitimacy and accountability. Critics question the... more
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have come to play a key role in global and European governance. With this new influence and visibility many have begun to worry about their legitimacy and accountability. Critics question the representativeness of NGOs, the democratic quality of their internal procedures, and their accountability to the wider public. This volume, written jointly by academics and practitioners, clarifies the issues at stake and controversially discusses proposals for reform. Political theorists debate which forms of accountability and legitimacy are applicable to transnational NGOs and what concept of representation may mean in this context. Practitioners focus on restoring NGO accountability and the repercussions that the new demand for legitimacy and accountability may have on their work. The challenge is to make transnational NGOs more responsive to their members and those affected by their advocacy without overly taxing their limited resources and bureaucratizing their work.
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This article reviews the growing research on ‘aidnography’ – ethnographic encounters with international development cooperation – that are increasingly popular in Anglo-Saxon anthropology. The focus on development sites primarily in the... more
This article reviews the growing research on ‘aidnography’ – ethnographic encounters with international development cooperation – that are increasingly popular in Anglo-Saxon anthropology. The focus on development sites primarily in the global ‘South’ or in the context of international organisations is highlighted as a major shortcoming. Personal reflections from the author’s research inside the German peacebuilding research and practice community are a first attempt to engage with the full multi-sitedness of the task ‘at home’. In the final part the author identifies the lack of critical self-reflection on professional attitudes and mindsets and a need to more comprehensively engage with the critical geography of institutions, places and spaces as important areas for additional research. However, the article is also an attempt to highlight the complexity of ‘discourses’ and the different forms of agency that are used to maintain a network without challenging powerful relationships.
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For the international community the civil war in Nepal and the complexities of the war-to-peace ‘transition’ pose a real challenge that mirages about development, civil society and governance become exposed. Instead of engaging with the... more
For the international community the civil war in Nepal and the complexities of the war-to-peace ‘transition’ pose a real challenge that mirages about development, civil society and governance become exposed. Instead of engaging with the root causes of violence, inequality and (under)development, procedural and technical elements dominate post-war reconstruction. From the point of view of a researcher the challenge is writing-up the stories from field research inside the aid community so that they capture the multi-sited, multi-layered ‘reality’ of a transition and at the same time create a space for reflection on the broader implications of ‘peacebuilding’ seen through the lens of desk-based planning, ritualized workshop discussions and office-driven ‘solutions’ to the complexity of war-to-peace transitions. There still seems some way to go for peace research and all the people involved to become ‘reflective practitioners’ and engage with constructivist micro-stories to learn and question dominant models of post-war reconstruction.
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This work explores post-war reconstruction and how the international community employs the concept of ‘peacebuilding’ into their strategy and practice. The approach is threefold: First, a theoretical analysis on conflict resolution theory... more
This work explores post-war reconstruction and how the international community employs the concept of ‘peacebuilding’ into their strategy and practice. The approach is threefold: First, a theoretical analysis on conflict resolution theory in the post-Cold War phase introduces the changing environment for international engagement into conflict and the war-torn societies thereafter. If sustainable ‘peacebuilding’ is the aim, how is this term defined? Using discourse analysis, thirty documents from the last decade that explicitly deal with ‘peacebuilding’ are analysed to identify a discourse on peacebuilding that shapes the practice on the ground. The evidence suggests that there is no unique theory on peacebuilding, but a discourse on post-war reconstruction that relies on a theory and linguistic practice of a technocratic discourse that is rooted in the ‘economised’ thinking of international development for the last forty years. International Organisations like UN organisations or International Financial Institutions, but also bilateral aid agencies and NGOs have started to employ ‘peacebuilding’ in their cotemporary work. The approaches they use to formulate reconstruction projects are influenced by the abovementioned discourse and especially the World Bank plays an important part in shaping reconstruction efforts. The almost hegemonic status of the World Bank and its’ powerful view on conflict and reconstruction has a questionable influence on sustainable peacebuilding. Country examples from Mozambique, El Salvador, Guatemala, East Timor and Afghanistan highlight unique discursive developments for each country and analyse recent and current nation-building efforts in the light of ‘peacebuilding’.
Keywords: peacebuilding, reconstruction, post-conflict, discourse, World Bank, Mozambique, Guatemala, El Salvador, East Timor, Afghanistan
Keywords: peacebuilding, reconstruction, post-conflict, discourse, World Bank, Mozambique, Guatemala, El Salvador, East Timor, Afghanistan
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Stringer's book on action research provides an accessible introduction to conducting participatory inquiries for social change. This general overview of the theoretical foundations of action research and methodological challenges is... more
Stringer's book on action research provides an accessible introduction to conducting participatory inquiries for social change. This general overview of the theoretical foundations of action research and methodological challenges is enriched by practical examples, insights, and exercises that are based on the author's substantial experience as a researcher and practitioner. Students and teachers will find this a valuable resource for teaching and training. However, Stringer's positive outlook on humanity and communities and his non-confrontational style of action research ignores some of the "darker" sides of power, knowledge, and the difficulties of achieving sustainable social change. The final chapter and substantial appendices have a strong focus on traditional report writing; more alternative case studies on how to communicate action research may have been useful to balance his more conventional project-management approach. Overall, this is a very good introductory volume that can spark ideas, discussions, and (self-) reflection on how to better link theory and practice.
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Erin Beck's ethnography of two Guatemalan micro‐finance non‐governmental organisations in the context of local development dynamics and global discourses of aid is a valuable contribution to the ‘aidnography’ genre, yet also raises some... more
Erin Beck's ethnography of two Guatemalan micro‐finance non‐governmental organisations in the context of local development dynamics and global discourses of aid is a valuable contribution to the ‘aidnography’ genre, yet also raises some important questions about the future of how anthropologists can research and write about the local manifestations of global development.
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From the publisher: "When Jennifer Bakody steps off the plane in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2004, she walks right into the hardest and most inspiring job an idealistic young journalist from Nova Scotia could ever imagine. Six... more
From the publisher: "When Jennifer Bakody steps off the plane in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2004, she walks right into the hardest and most inspiring job an idealistic young journalist from Nova Scotia could ever imagine. Six years of war involving eight countries and several million deaths has just ended in a ceasefire. Two weeks later, Bakody finds herself two thousand kilometres up the Congo River in the heart of the jungle, managing a small UN-backed radio station. Radio Okapi Kindu tells Jennifer’s story, as well as that of the team of hard-working local reporters determined to cover the country’s rapid march towards elections. Can one small station known as the “frequency of peace” stand the strain of maintaining its editorial rigour when so much is at stake?"
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From the publisher: "Kenneth Warren was a powerful figure in twentieth century medicine whose work transformed public health policy and tropical medicine, and who left a profound legacy in global health thinking. A prolific writer and... more
From the publisher:
"Kenneth Warren was a powerful figure in twentieth century medicine whose work transformed public health policy and tropical medicine, and who left a profound legacy in global health thinking. A prolific writer and researcher, Warren was respected for his scientific research, winning awards and accolades, while his later role as activist, agitator, innovator and connoisseur of science brought him international recognition. His career in medicine is remembered for three enduring achievements:
· His efforts to introduce modern biomedical science to the study of infectious diseases in the developing world
· The proselytising energy he brought to the ethical challenge of how to provide the most cost-effective health care to the world’s poorest people
· His tenure as Director of Health Sciences at the Rockefeller Foundation, during which time he inaugurated the Great Neglected Diseases of Mankind Programme
Told through personal interviews with both Warren’s supporters and detractors, the story of Warren’s career, inexorably interwoven with the GND programme, is a compelling narrative that has not only enduring implications for current medical research, funding and healthcare across the globe, but also a long-standing legacy for the future ways in which we combat disease in the developing world."
http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319501451
"Kenneth Warren was a powerful figure in twentieth century medicine whose work transformed public health policy and tropical medicine, and who left a profound legacy in global health thinking. A prolific writer and researcher, Warren was respected for his scientific research, winning awards and accolades, while his later role as activist, agitator, innovator and connoisseur of science brought him international recognition. His career in medicine is remembered for three enduring achievements:
· His efforts to introduce modern biomedical science to the study of infectious diseases in the developing world
· The proselytising energy he brought to the ethical challenge of how to provide the most cost-effective health care to the world’s poorest people
· His tenure as Director of Health Sciences at the Rockefeller Foundation, during which time he inaugurated the Great Neglected Diseases of Mankind Programme
Told through personal interviews with both Warren’s supporters and detractors, the story of Warren’s career, inexorably interwoven with the GND programme, is a compelling narrative that has not only enduring implications for current medical research, funding and healthcare across the globe, but also a long-standing legacy for the future ways in which we combat disease in the developing world."
http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319501451
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Research Interests: International Relations, Multiculturalism, Development Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Ethnography, and 18 moreInternational Law, Human Rights, International organizations, Political Anthropology, Conflict, Security, Nationalism, Diplomacy, Peacekeeping, Conflict Resolution, Ethnicity, Minority Rights, Peace, Peacebuilding, Freedom, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Stabilization and Reconstruction, and Post Conflict Issues
In this paper I am arguing that engaging with online social media in the form of curating a regular global development blog column is a simple, yet effective way to provide decolonised resources in the context of development studies... more
In this paper I am arguing that engaging with online social media in the form of curating a regular global development blog column is a simple, yet effective way to provide decolonised resources in the context of development studies teaching, research and communication.
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To address and challenge the power structures that underpin and perpetuate the humanitarian enterprise consisting of Northern led inter-governmental and NGOs, it is important to acknowledge the long-existing efforts of grassroots... more
To address and challenge the power structures that underpin and perpetuate the humanitarian enterprise consisting of Northern led inter-governmental and NGOs, it is important to acknowledge the long-existing efforts of grassroots activists and diaspora groups for social justice, who addressed structural racism and gender inequality for many decades long before
the Black Lives Matter movement. We therefore believe that the broadening of the understanding of varieties of humanitarianism would benefit from integrating the study of social movements into the study of humanitarianisms. We argue that the critique of the dominant brand of
humanitarianism needs to be accompanied by a re-orientation and the addition of humanitarian activism to humanitarian action if we are to address the continuing crises that fail to address inequalities that persist despite ongoing efforts
the Black Lives Matter movement. We therefore believe that the broadening of the understanding of varieties of humanitarianism would benefit from integrating the study of social movements into the study of humanitarianisms. We argue that the critique of the dominant brand of
humanitarianism needs to be accompanied by a re-orientation and the addition of humanitarian activism to humanitarian action if we are to address the continuing crises that fail to address inequalities that persist despite ongoing efforts