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Why I chose this picture:

I feel that within in development studies there is certain kind of image that becomes most often associated with it. Such a photograph usually features brown skinned "Third World" people, often children, engaged in some sort of commonly recognized "Third World" activity (e.g. selling something in an open air market, plowing a field). These images certainly have a place in development studies, but that when they are the predominant type of image they become misleading. Development occurs within a system of relationships that includes white CEO's in New York City just as much as brown-skinned, barefoot children.

I chose this picture for my homepage because, first of all, I took it and I'm in it. This, at least symbolically, reinforces my desire for reflexivity (the idea that an author be aware of the effects of his/her presence and situated knowledge on his/her project). Second, it features my rural host mother in Bolivia, who does not speak Spanish, does the majority of her cooking in this outdoor kitchen, and is largely responsible for the well-being of her family. Rural, Third World women have become a major focus in development studies in recent years. Third, in this picture she is teaching me how to cook, which, at least symbolically, emphasizes my belief that those who are studying development and doing development work need to learn from the people they are attempting to study and work with. It should be a mutual process of forming knowledge. Fourth, I like this picture.

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