Analysis of urban reform coalitions awarded best 2024 paper by Area Development and Policy
Professor Diana Mitlin, CEO of the African Cities Research Consortium, has been awarded the best paper of 2024 by Area Development and Policy for The contribution of reform coalitions to inclusion and equity: lessons from urban social movements.
How to approach the job hunt in the Indian development sector
Employability champion Raju Sarkar discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with finding a development sector job in India after graduation.
This blog is part of a series by our Employability Champions, helping to prepare graduates for life after study. See our other piece by Vinka Maharani on navigating your career journey as an international student returning home here.
Refugees and the city: liminal legality and the struggles over lived citizenship
By Prof Tanja R. Müller, Professor of Political Sociology
Idris (not his real name) has always known Khartoum as home. He was born in the Sudanese capital and grew up around the city’s children, mostly Sudanese citizens. He played the same games as other children, went to the same schools, and even attended the same church, an affiliate of the Egyptian Orthodox Church. Idris excelled at his secondary schooling and easily achieved the grades necessary to join university. At that point, however, the fact he was born to Ethiopian refugee parents suddenly presented a hard border in his life.
Solidarity, technology and the future of Development Studies: DSA Conference 2024
By Dr Louisa Hann
Last month, hundreds of development studies scholars arrived at SOAS, University of London to attend the annual Development Studies Association Conference. This year’s theme was ‘Social justice and development in a polarising world’, inspiring a diverse array of panels and roundtables unpicking some of the many challenges development scholars and practitioners face in an era defined by crisis, conflict, and hegemonic shift.
As ever, GDI colleagues came out in force to represent some of the pioneering scholarship taking place in and around the institute. While there were simply too many GDI-studded sessions for one comms team to cover, we’ve collated just a few key themes from the event, including sessions convened and papers presented by colleagues across various specialisms.
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships open for applications
The British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships are receiving applications from promising early career scholars. The University of Manchester is keen to support both internal and external applicants.
How to navigate your career journey as an international student returning home
By Vinka Maharani
The career journey can feel daunting for an international student returning to their home country after completing a Master’s degree. While you gain a lot of new perspectives at university, adjusting back to your home country with these lenses might be challenging. Whether you are a fresh graduate with limited experience or a seasoned professional, there are several ways to situate yourself better in the job-seeking field despite going back to your home country. Below are some steps categorised by phase:
Bicentenary Way Celebrates GDI Trailblazers
2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the University of Manchester, spurring both celebration and reflection on the rich history of the University and the talented individuals it has nurtured. To pay tribute to its notable alumni, the University has launched Bicentenary Way, showcasing those who have shaped its journey since 1824.
Bicentenary Way, located in Brunswick Park opposite the Queen’s Arch, honours celebrities such as Simon Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Lemn Sissay, well-known historical figures, and individuals excelling in their field who embody the University’s values and community spirit. As the University embarks on its third century of teaching, Bicentenary Way will continue to evolve, celebrating the people who make a difference and ensuring that their legacy remains connected to the campus and the city.
GDI is proud to see our work and history reflected by the inclusion of two of our alumni on Bicentenary Way, Kwame Asamoah Kwarteng and Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, as well as Sir Arthur Lewis, who shaped much of what we now know as development economics.
Decolonising Development Studies: Progress, challenges, and the role of the Africa Charter
By Dr Louisa Hann
On Thursday, 30th May 2024, the Development Studies Association (DSA) hosted a webinar exploring the critical need to decolonise Development Studies and tackle the epistemic inequities that govern a Eurocentric research landscape. The discussion also addressed the role of the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaboration in achieving such aims – a framework designed to advance Africa-centred scholarship and epistemologies within the global production of scientific knowledge.
Chaired by GDI’s Head, Professor Sam Hickey, the panel comprised of Professor Isabella Aboderin (University of Bristol), Dr Divine Fuh (University of Cape Town), Professor Puleng Segalo (University of South Africa), and Professor Peter Taylor (Institute of Development Studies).
The conversation that emerged during the hour-long session – which you can view on the DSA’s YouTube channel – was dynamic and wide-ranging, raising a multitude of questions for further scrutiny and discussion.
How are GDI academics tackling the ‘polycrisis’ ?
By Louisa Hann
The world has witnessed seismic political, social, and economic shifts since the turn of the new millennium. From the financial crash of 2008 to the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, the frequency and severity of era-shaping events seem to have ramped up over the past couple of decades. Some – like historian Adam Tooze – have adopted the term ‘polycrisis’ as shorthand to describe the web of acute and convergent challenges confronting humanity at this moment in time. Others prefer the term ‘permacrisis’ to capture the feeling that we’re living through an extended period of emergency and uncertainty.
However we choose to define the current political and social landscape, there’s no doubt scholars must grapple with the interconnectedness of global problems if they want to understand the present. For many, this means casting a critical eye over established development frameworks that emerged during a time of relatively stable capitalist hegemony and may no longer be fit for purpose.
Reflections on the SEED PGR Conference 2024: A Journey of Collaboration and Innovation
The School of Environment, Education, and Development (SEED) held its annual conference for postgraduate researchers on Wednesday, 22nd May 2024. Designed to provide a platform for PhD students to share their research insights, the conference gave students and staff an opportunity to network and engage with work occurring within the SEED community.
PhD student Zhuo Sun was part of the organising committee for this year’s committee. Below, Zhuo describes some of the processes involved with creating the event and reflects on some of its successes.