Finally, I had the premiere of this short edumentary video that provides an overview of my Veni research project. The video was made in August 2021 but COVID-19 related restrictions meant that we've had to keep postpone the date of the Tourism@WUR event during which I wanted to premiere the video. In the end we … Continue reading Premiere of Veni research project edumentary video
Fieldwork
Lift every voice and sing: sound, emotion and affect in the fieldwork encounter
During this past summer I was in Ghana for fieldwork as part of my VENI research project. It was such a rewarding and challenging time in the field. I made copious observational notes and wrote my reflections on a daily basis during this time. However, since returning to the Netherlands and given the hectic start … Continue reading Lift every voice and sing: sound, emotion and affect in the fieldwork encounter
Cape Chronicles I – Sarafina! and predeparture briefing
For the next 5 weeks I have the privilege of calling Cape Town my home. I am embarking on a research visit to the University of Cape Town and will be hosted by the African Centre for Cities. The aim of my research visit is to explore the planning issues associated with the use of tourism for … Continue reading Cape Chronicles I – Sarafina! and predeparture briefing
Metaphors we fly by: 2 weeks at the University of Surrey
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
Researcher Reflexivity in Planning Research: My view from Elmina, Ghana*
As a Ghanaian keenly interested in the development of my country I feel very frustrated most times when I think of the considerable abuse of power coupled with the systemic and structural constraints to innovative thinking among planners and policy makers. Within this context of yearning for development in Ghana, the conduct of my fieldwork … Continue reading Researcher Reflexivity in Planning Research: My view from Elmina, Ghana*
The pain, pain and some joy of transcription
Unlike mainly quantitative research that rely on the cliché of number crunching, interviews as used in qualitative research allow one to get access to a wealth of information that can provide insights over and above what the numbers tell. This makes the use of interview data in research a joy. However, the very joy of … Continue reading The pain, pain and some joy of transcription
On the making of academic country experts in international development
Just last week Thursday 12th March, 2015, I attended the 6th Annual Sheffield Institute for International Development (SIID) Postgraduate Conference here at the University of Sheffield. This year's theme was “Reflecting on development: Global narratives, local realities” with a number of interesting PhD student presentations. A thought-provoking keynote address by Prof. Diana Mitlin raised a number of … Continue reading On the making of academic country experts in international development
The boredom and joys of fieldwork in Ghana
This blog post was first written for and published on 6th November, 2014 by the Sheffield Institute for International Development (SIID) under the 'Students Insights' feature of their website. I am republishing it here without edit but with only the addition of pictures. I have so far enjoyed my PhD journey which started in September, … Continue reading The boredom and joys of fieldwork in Ghana