In the first instalment of "the slow hard work of societal impact", I focused on my coordinating role with the tapestry work piece. In this second instalment, I want to reflect briefly (although being brief is one of my learning goals) on screens and screenings as an avenue for societal impact. I refer in this … Continue reading The slow hard work of societal impact II: on screens and screenings
What does it take to translate academic research into valuable resources and elements for societal engagement (and hopefully some societal impact)? In the past couple of months - actually since December 2024 up to now - I have been doing a sort of autoethnography in search of answers to this question. During this time, I … Continue reading The slow hard work of societal impact I: on needles and threads.
For this year, I happily accepted the invitation to deliver the keynote for the UU Heritage Lecture and the Dr. Albert van der Zeijden Thesis Award event organised yearly by Utrecht University and the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage (KIEN). https://www.immaterieelerfgoed.nl/nl/activiteiten/uitreiking-dr-albert-van-der-zeijdenscriptieprijs-heritage-lecture There is still time to register for this upcoming event taking place in exactly three week's time … Continue reading “Selling the past to remember it”: Upcoming keynote at Utrecht University Heritage Lecture & Thesis Award event (11 April 2025)
How do recruitment managers do this? How do they sort through CVs upon CVs of highly qualified candidates in order to shortlist the few that might proceed into the interview stage? How do they make the final decision after witnessing the brilliance of all the shortlisted candidates during the interviews? Flip a coin and hope … Continue reading This piece or that piece? The art of recruiting and puzzling an ERC FRICTIONS PhD research team together.
Then King David went in and sat [in prayer] before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house (family), that You have brought me this far? (2 Samuel 7:18 Amplified Version of The Holy Bible) What an incredible year it has been for me and my family! The … Continue reading December to Remember: Afehyia Pa ooo
Cusco, once the capital of the Inca Empire, offered a glimpse of both its grandeur and the impact of Spanish colonization. The high altitude and chilly weather required acclimatization and I observed the combination of tourism products and experiences, Cusco's place in a network of destinations, and the intermingling of lived and imagined aspects of the city. Amidst staged tourist experiences, I encountered a large number of domestic tourists and noticed the influence of Moorish architectural style. My next adventure was the epic Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu.
This is a short article I wrote (without the cartoons) for the University of Sheffield Doctoral Times Magazine. The final formatted version has been published and accessible from here https://www.flipsnack.com/Tuostimes/doctoral-times-issue-17.html (Pg. 13) It was during my undergraduate days in Ghana that I developed the romantic idea of becoming an academic. At that time, I saw being … Continue reading Reflections on the PhD journey: an academic life story
My first outside social encounter in Napoli on the second night of my stay in the city took place at the entrance of a restaurant and unfolded like this: Me: "Are you already serving food?" Italian Waiter:"Food?" Me:"Yes!" Italian Waiter:"Do you want to eat?" Me:"Yes!" Italian Waiter:"Do you have money?" Me:"What?!?" Italian Waiter:"Do you have … Continue reading Ciao Napoli – I hope to see you again!
On The Guardian’s Global Development Professionals Network page, I recently came across an article and from where I ‘borrowed’ the title for this blog post. In that short article (which you can see here) the author raises some interesting points about current international development practice. The central question posed by the author is whether International … Continue reading The continued existence of international development researchers
How time flies! (that is a metaphor right there but I will get to that later). With a mixture of sadness and gladness, today is my last day in Guildford where I have been on a research visit to the University of Surrey for the past two weeks. It has been a very good and productive … Continue reading Metaphors we fly by: 2 weeks at the University of Surrey
Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong 