Category: Anthropology
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Sharing findings with different audiences
A few weeks ago, Rachel Schurman and I published The Complex Choreography of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Africa in the journal African Affairs. In the article, we surveyed nearly 30 years of strategic and well-funded efforts by donors to bring GMOs to Africa. These efforts, we contend, have so far yielded very little. How come? We argue that…
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Public talk @ UC Berkeley March 10
I’m very excited to be giving a talk at UC Berkeley next month on genetically modified crops, sustainability, and qualitative research methods.
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Recipient of the 2019 Boahen-Wilks Prize
Happy to share that my article, “We Are Not Starving: Challenging Genetically Modified Seeds and Development in Ghana” received the 2019 Boahen-Wilks Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Article in Ghana Studies.
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The Fight for the Future of Food
On October 23, 2019, the University of San Francisco hosted five leading African food sovereignty activists for a night of discussion, food, and networking. We were fortunate to hear from Victoria Adongo (Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana), Mariam Bassey-Orovwuje (Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa), Dr. Million Belay (Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa), Mariam…
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2018 in Review
It’s December, which means I’ve hit the year anniversary of my defense (wow!) and 2019 is near. I’ve been reflecting on work done the past year – not because productivity is the goal – but because I, like many others, constantly fall into the trap of feeling underproductive and therefore overlooking actual accomplishments. So, I…
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Encountering Food in the Field, Centering it in Development Studies
Why aren’t rich and tasty food cultures more central to development efforts?
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Making “the case for colonialism” in Ghanaian social studies textbooks
By using “The Case for Colonialism” as a point of departure to discuss Ghanaian school curriculum, my intention is not to overlook the very real problematics of the article, nor to suggest that Gilley’s argument is exceptional (it is not). Rather, I believe the quick lining up of for/against overlooks the need to interrogate the very real ways…
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On Farmers as “Very Difficult People”
The Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture resigned today after calling northern Ghanaian farmers “liars,” “very difficult people,” and accusing them of extortion. Many were understandably, and rightfully, upset at the Deputy Minister’s comments, but I argue that his comments, though vile, are not exceptional. During fieldwork, I regularly encountered super negative discourse about…
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Trotro Advice for Surviving Fieldwork
Let these wise taxis and trotros guide you through fieldwork’s unexpected challenges.
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On tech, representation, and African agriculture
There is a way in which popular media and development literature presents Africa, and Africans, as paralyzed by modernity, at a standstill: young people leaving agriculture and going to cities, inequalities rising, cities exploding, changing tastes via KFC and packaged noodles like Indomie. The flicker of hope du jour is tech, and writers, especially when discussing agriculture, often cite high…
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No One Seems Concerned
I was recently telling a friend about our brave, tiny outdoor cats who run up trees and sneak out the bamboo fence, and how no one seemed concerned about their wanderings. My friend remarked that “no one seems concerned” would be a good title for a blog about cross cultural communication (her field). Or anthropology, I…
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“Developmental Army,” “Demographic Bomb:” linguistics in development literature
Spending the morning writing about intersections of development, aid, and militarism. Saw this tweet and thought it was appropriate: “The young people of Africa are our developmental army, the people who are going to transform the futures of our countries.” -Hadeel Ibrahim — Mo Ibrahim Fdn (@Mo_IbrahimFdn) October 14, 2013 And went quite well with…
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Morning Reads: self-determination, mining murders & AFRICOM/Congo training
“Africa Must Stop the West” by Stephen Odoi-Larbi The First Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Ebo Barton-Odro, has told the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) that the time had come for Africa to act swiftly to stop the West from dictating to the continent, when it comes to legal matters that have international character. “Chinese Kill Two…
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University of California: Debt for Education
As an undergrad at the University of California-San Diego it was no secret that the Regents, who controlled the operation and decision-making of the university, were involved in some risky business. The Regents, a group of Californians entrusted with the education of 11 undergraduate and graduate campuses, are appointed by the governor. Their appointments are…
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Bourdieu in Algeria
Speaking on colonial Algeria: “This society, … which was constituted through a totality of indissociable elements that were all expressions of the same original ‘style,’ suffered [a subi] the shock of another civilization that did not make itself felt in a piecemeal or targeted fashion but in totality, rupturing not only the economic order but…
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This week we’re talking about race
Tim Wise: The Creation of Whiteness Everyone’s a little bit racist!
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Capacity to transform society
I’m looking forward to seeing Randall McGuire speak this weekend at the Public Anthropology Conference. We’re currently reading Archaeology as Political Action, in which he lays out three goals of a “Marxist radical praxis,” which provide a good outline for anyone interested in change-making: A Marxist radical praxis necessarily involves three goals to know the…
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Reinventing
Last week, my Foundations of Anthropology professor opened with this quote: “Each anthropologist must reinvent [anthropology], as a general field, for him or herself, following personal interest and talent where best they may lead.” – Dell Hymes, Reinventing Anthropology Hyme’s insight encouraged me to be creative, different, and not hold myself to others’ standards. And…
Joeva Sean Rock 