Academia-fatigue, systemic shocks and the power of drama
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Natalie Anne Hall, PhD Candidate, Sociology, The University of Manchester
As researchers, we often register for conferences excited and hopeful, arrive at them slightly nervous and, as our energy wanes throughout long days of listening, thinking and acting out our professional personas, leave them rather exhausted. Moreover, as human beings, our levels of motivation, concentration, and intellectual capacity are not constant. Once in a while I find myself experiencing ‘academia-fatigue’, longing for a more human or ‘real-world’ experience of research and its relevance. It was amidst these vague sentiments that I sought reprieve in ‘The Tin Ring’ performance at the Migration Lab’s World on the Move conference. read more…
Social Mobility Research in the Global South: What Do We Know? What Do We Need to Know?
By Vegard Iversen, Anirudh Krishna and Kunal Sen
In spite of recent and unprecedented poverty reduction, the notion that an individual’s expected level of achievement should be ‘a function only of his effort and not of his circumstances’ remains a distant ideal. While research has added to our understanding of poverty dynamics and of policies to alleviate deprivation, most poverty escapes continue to be marginal and fragile.
When gauged, instead, as steps on a ‘rags to riches’ or social status ladder – and from one generation to the next – it becomes clear that moderate or large individual ascents and the drivers of such more notable achievements, are neither well documented nor particularly well understood.
MSc Organisational Change and MSc Project Management Students Visit Auto Trader Group
On 1st December 2017, students on the MSc programmes in Organisational Change and Development and the Management and Implementation of Development Projects visited the Auto Trader Group headquarters in Manchester. Auto Trader is a large private sector company, listed in the FTSE 250 index, which has undergone a remarkable transformation from a paper-based to a high technology digitally-driven business organisation. The visit, organised as part of the two MScs’ programmes of enhanced activities, provided the students with an opportunity to gain insights into some of the practice-focused people and change management challenges faced by private sector organisations. We asked two of the MSc programme representatives to reflect on the visit. read more…
From international development to global development
By Rory Horner and David Hulme, Global Development Institute
The study and practice of international development has generally referred to the differences between ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries. Growing inequality between developed and developing states during the 19th and 20th centuries presented a clear task; to address the challenges faced by a relatively synonymous poor people living in poor countries.
But for the last 30 years inequality between countries have been steadily reducing, yet our development challenges remain greater than ever. Our analysis of the new geographies of 21st century development (recently published in Development and Change ), highlights the need for a shift away from the idea of ‘international’ development, recognising a new form of ‘global’ development. read more…
Who is left out of history and why?
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Ria Sunga, PhD Candidate, History, The University of Manchester
The World on the Move Conference was an excellent opportunity for me, as a PhD student, to listen to colleagues and scholars talk about their research. If there was one word I could use to describe the conference it would be: inspiring.
I just returned from some archival research, which to be honest, was exhausting. I returned to Manchester feeling a bit burned out and needed some motivation. This conference was just what I needed. Not only did I learn about the research taking place at the University, but I was also able to meet and discuss with students and researchers from other institutions. The diversity of topics and participants represented the global nature of the field we are all immersed in. Here in Manchester, ideas and conclusions converged to create a dynamic conversation on migration.
I’m in the early stages of my research on refugees and history. Listening to those who have dedicated years to studies in the field of forced migration and history gave me new perspectives and insights to consider. Scholars like Joy Damousi and Yaron Matras reminded me that there are many more persons left out of the discourse, such as women and children, and ethnic minorities. Displacement has its roots from war and conflict, but Laura Hammond discussed the irregular causes of migration too, making the reasons for movement more complex than many choose to see. The conference also provided a venue to discuss future research. Peter Gatrell presented on his upcoming book, Common Ground, which focuses on immigration to Europe. His historical approach links the past to the future of this area of study, leaving me to wonder how methods, concepts and approaches can evolve during my own research.
What resonated with me was Joy Damousi’s presentation on child refugees throughout the 20th century. She traced the history of how children were displaced amidst war and conflict, starting with the Armenian Genocide until the Cold War. Children, she said, have been left out of this history and her research illuminated their experiences in a time of violence. She also discussed the generosity of individuals who helped them, mainly from her research on Australia. I enjoyed the snippets of the lives of certain persons, like Esme Odgers, who left Australia to care for these children. This made me realise how often history tends to forget those who worked tirelessly in the spirit of humanitarianism to reach out to people they don’t know – the kindness of strangers. It’s these personal histories that inspire me to research on refugee assistance and protection.
Refugees’ voices need to be heard. Roisin Read’s presentation on the journey of refugees in Africa have also enlightened my perceptions of the different experiences and negotiations that refugees and displaced persons make. Yolanda Weima challenged the notion of ‘peace’ and how returned refugees in Burundi defined it. Peace, I believe, is a critical lens to use. Most of what I’ve encountered in my consulted literature were discussions on violence, which caused many to flee their homes. Peace, however, can further deconstruct ideas on resettlement, belonging and asylum. These terms are complex and dynamic – there is no one way to define them.
As a student, relatively new to refugee studies and history, this conference was a great opportunity to see various research that are critical about policy, refugee representation, humanitarianism and refugee voices. It’s inspiring to know how many more facets of migration and movement there are to explore, discuss and learn about. These are the views from not just one part of the world. They reveal the global nature of migration and its evolution, which challenges accepted norms and perceptions. Indeed, my own perceptions have changed throughout my studies. It is also humbling to know that such research can have impact, leaving me to think about my own work and how I can create some impact. As I embark on another chapter of archival research, these are the thoughts I take with me.
Note: This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole.
‘Don’t Mourn: Mobilise’. Resisting Dispossession, Engulfment and Erosion
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Hannah Haycox, PhD Candidate, Sociology, The University of Manchester
“We are far more united and have far more in common than what divides us” (Jo Cox)
This week, I was delighted to attend the very first Migration Lab conference at The University of Manchester. Experts from a variety of backgrounds all joined to discuss their responses to the conference theme of a ‘World on the Move: Migration, Societies and Change’. Throughout the three days, similar questions seemed to circulate: Is the current ‘World on the Move’ a new development? Hasn’t the world always been on the move? And if so, do public discourses and state responses to such movements ever truly evolve? read more…
GDI Lecture Series: Political economy approach to collective action, inequality and development with Prof Bill Ferguson
On Wednesday, 29 November, Prof Bill Ferguson, Grinnell College, delivered a lecture entitled ‘a political economy approach to collective action, inequality and development’. This lecture was the Annual Adrian Leftwich Memorial Lecture presented with the Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centre.
You can watch the livestream below. You can also listen to the podcast below read more…
Hopeful visions in dark days
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Dr William Wheeler, independent scholar
Migration, it is agreed, is intimately connected with hope. As we heard from Gulwali Passarlay, a refugee from Afghanistan and author of Lightless Sky, who talked eloquently of his perilous journey to the UK as a child, “It was hope kept me going.” But Passarlay went on to explain that it was when he reached the UK, when he found his story and even his nationality disbelieved by the Home Office, that his hope was crushed. read more…
In Conversation: Professor Bill Ferguson and Dr Pablo Yanguas
Effective States and Inclusive Development’s Dr Pablo Yanguas engages Grinnell University’s Professor Bill Ferguson in a thought-provoking discussion about the role of economics in both creating and addressing collective action problems. Bill, the Gertrude B. Austin Professor of Economics, delivered this year’s Adrian Leftwich memorial lecture on a Political Economy approach to collective action, inequality and development. Having begun his career as a neighourhood community organiser in Seattle, Bill believes that, “Economics is fundamentally a social science. It’s fundamentally an attempt to understand human behaviour,” and is a strong advocate for rethinking the way the discipline is understood and taught – in order to deepen its contribution to addressing social ills like poverty and inequality. read more…
Development politics lacks a shared language
The fact that I have written a grand total of 7 posts for my own blog in the entirety of 2017 is a testament to the madness that this year has been. Good madness, I must say. None of that Lovecraftian “things-man-was-never-meant-to-see” stuff. But madness anyway. And as I emerge from a cocoon fashioned out of draft chapters and reports, taking up blogging again seems like the perfect New Year’s Resolution for the month of December.
So I will start with my main takeaway from 2017: writing about the politics of development for different audiences is not an easy thing to do. I have always prided myself in being able to talk politics with almost anyone, anywhere. But writing semi-cogently is a different challenge altogether, as this year has shown me with the clarify of a punch to the face. Here are four translation tasks that I have had to deal with, and the realization that has come out of the experience. read more…