The following is a brief excursus on the social science disciplines which should be of interest to absolutely no one. It should not be confused with the similarly titled article by Emily Sands ’09, who is brilliant. I’ve already many times registered my frustration with much of the criticism of development coming from the academy. … Continue reading Sexy-Nomics
Not to be overdramatic, but To be completely overdramatic, I have a truly overwhelming amount of reading to do. Now, as an undergraduate, the phrase “I have so much reading” was bandied around quite a bit. Being a student at Oxford, though, gives me new perspective on what “so much reading” means. Take heed, ye… Continue reading Pavlov’s Graduate Students
Sometimes, I have the self-awareness to notice my friends’ eyes start to glaze over when I start rehashing my most recent rowing exploits, and realize that the fact that I currently have an unbalanced cult-like devotion to the sport does not, in fact, mean that anyone else cares. But, since this week was “Torpids” –… Continue reading The Thames giveth; the Isis taketh away
There are so many things to be stressing about on a Saturday morning: ever-nearing deadlines for assessed essays, upcoming meetings with my thesis advisor (still without a topic), and looming qualification exams. And, for all that, I’ve spent all morning with my mind fixed on five minutes I will spend on the Isis this afternoon,… Continue reading The Race
Have you heard the news? Uganda is no longer a civilized nation! At least, that’s the take of the Washington Post, which (rightly) denounced a bill in front of Uganda’s parliament that would give a life sentence to “serial” homosexuals, imprison people who “aid and abet” homosexuality, and require citizens to report homosexual activity to… Continue reading Un-civilized, Un-democratic, Un-relativist
I have been following the news from Chile mostly from an inability to look away. This morning, the official number of displaced persons went up a half-million just in the time it took me to refresh the New York Times homepage. There are times when I wish I were the type who prays, since then… Continue reading Natural Disasters
Make no mistake. We do not study development at Oxford in order to help people. The job of development studies scholars is to attack and dismantle the well-intentioned ideas of others who (naively) actually think they can help people. This week, in my history and politics course, we discussed Mahmood Mamdami’s Saviours and Survivors, which… Continue reading In Defense of Clowning (as a development strategy, that is)
I don’t want to believe that my life is ever going to “peak,” and I especially don’t want to believe that it “peaked” one year ago today. I should state upfront, as a disclaimer, that this is a very self-involved post. Talking about an award I received a year ago is a bit pathetic, but… Continue reading Frauds and Peaks
Long before I came to Oxford, I had heard about Oxford’s notorious animal rights activists. They epitomized the absolute extreme to which the movement had come: “they” broke into labs, harassed professors, and even committed acts of bombing and arson. While there were many reason why my interviews for the Rhodes and Marshall were disasters,… Continue reading The Face of Terrorism (Oxford and elsewhere)
Worcester’s college bar is well decorated. This is not a good thing, because usually when I go there I wind up awkwardly staring at the walls rather than talking to people. The pictures of the “Worcester College dart’s team / drinking legends” are always entertaining, as are the pictures of each year’s “beer boat”—senior rowers… Continue reading The Other “Fancy Dress”
Alex V. Barnard - Sociology 