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Black Skin, White Masks

Black Skin, White Masks

Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth (1961) is essential reading for anyone interested in anti-colonialism, de-colonialism and post-colonialism. Fanon’s “Black Skin, White Masks” (1952) was his first work, from which a few exerts are given below. For those unfamiliar with Fanon, his writing has influenced revolutionary struggles around the world and his works continue […]

Tags: #Anti-colonialism #Decolonialism #Frantz Fanon #Post-colonialism #The Wretched of the Earth

Thought Provokers
The Tyranny of Metrics

The Tyranny of Metrics

Jerry Z. Muller’s “The Tyranny of Metrics” (2018) has a title suggestive of an essential read, but in detail it runs thin. The author may have aimed for a broad audience, providing a brief overview. For those versed in the challenges of metrics, this is not your book. Nonetheless, there are some interesting points, including: […]

Tags: #Accountability #Evaluation #Metrics #Transparency #Tyranny of Metrics

Thought Provokers
Social Movements and Market Transformations

Social Movements and Market Transformations

In the 1990s and into the 2000s, there were effective treatments for AIDS, yet the poorest countries and people did not have access to them. How did the global transformation come about whereby treatments became more readily available, and in most countries in the Global South free? Kapstein and Busby outline how this transformation took […]

Tags: #Advocacy #HIV/AIDS #Market transformation #Social Movement #Theory of strategic moral action

Thought Provokers
The Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-41)

The Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-41)

In back alleys and old book shops in Ethiopia, you can occasionally stumble across old gems. A recent example I found was “The Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-41) Genesis Ordeal Victory”, published by the Ministry of Information in 1975. It is a 28-page pamphlet that includes a large set of images. For a historian, the pamphlet is […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #Italy #League of Nations #Occupation #War

Thought Provokers
Resistance and Decolonization

Resistance and Decolonization

Amilcar Cabral (1924-1973) is one of Africa’s great anti- and de-colonial activists and writers, and led the struggle for the independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde. Another post, on Davidson’s “No Fish is Big Enough to Hide the Sky“, also covers Cabral. This post focuses upon a collection of his ideas in “Resistance and […]

Tags: #Amilcar Cabral #Decolonial #decolonization #Post-colonial #Resistance

Thought Provokers
Why We Lie About Aid

Why We Lie About Aid

“Why We Lie About Aid” (2018) appeared all over development studies social media in 2018, at one point topping Amazon’s best seller list for the sub-category. For those who do not think aid is political, or who sit on the fence of development being political, Pablo Yanguas’ book is an essential read. The book makes […]

Tags: #Aid #International Assistance #Pablo Yanguas #Politics #Why we lie about aid

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