Posted on

Reflecting on our Lens: Decolonising Imagery within International Development

By James Andrews / part of our “Share your Decolonising Story” project

When selecting a photo to bring colour to the blog you’ve spent hours copy-editing, have you considered whether it disrupts the colonial gaze, or might it—perhaps inadvertently—reinforce these entrenched power structures? When arranging an interview for your lively development podcast, are you giving a platform to a Western academic who has conducted research ‘in the field,’ or would it be more impactful to interview someone who has spent their entire life living and working in that ‘field’? How do you create multimedia content that not only attracts donor funding but also remains sensitive to the unique circumstances of the individuals whose stories you aim to tell, while being aware of your own cultural, class and gender biases?

Continue reading “Reflecting on our Lens: Decolonising Imagery within International Development”
Posted on

From Content Production to Meaningful Engagement: A Collective Reflection on Communicating Development Research Online

By Lize Swartz

The communications landscape around us is changing — seemingly at breakneck speed. Since our last meeting as EADI Research Communications Working Group more than five years ago, especially the online communications environment has all but been transformed. These changes are forcing us to reflect on how we are communicating and whether it’s sufficient, also from a social justice perspective. The recent workshop for EADI members held in Bonn, Germany, was a moment for us to get together and reflect on recent changes and our responses.

Continue reading “From Content Production to Meaningful Engagement: A Collective Reflection on Communicating Development Research Online”
Posted on

Development researchers as advocates: eight tips for more engaged scholarship

By Adinda Ceelen | EADI/ISS Blog Series

Research impact has become a strategic priority for many research institutes around the world, with an increasing focus on “bridging the gap” between research and society and positioning research in a way that ensures the knowledge it produces can contribute to bringing about change. Development researchers often find themselves straddling two worlds: the academic sector on the one hand, and the development sector on the other. But is there a moral imperative for development researchers to bridge these two realms by acting as advocates in ‘the real world’? If so, how can they best share knowledge in ways that contribute to solidarity, peace, and social justice? Continue reading “Development researchers as advocates: eight tips for more engaged scholarship”

Posted on

Let’s Talk About Communication! Impressions from the EADI Research Communications Workshop

By Christiane Kliemann

It is no secret that in times of digitalisation and information overload, communicating research plays an increasingly important role – research institutes employing larger or smaller communication units in order to make their own voice heard in the cacophony of voices, opinions and media outlets.

“The ability to communicate is the key to being relevant”, Anna-Pia Hudtloff, Head of Communication at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) said at our recent two-day workshop on research communication. Continue reading “Let’s Talk About Communication! Impressions from the EADI Research Communications Workshop”