Photo essay: Dispatches
- Undergraduate Field Research
More photos and dispatches written by Undergraduate Associates about their field research can be found in the Dispatches section.
- "Al Ma'bar" ("The Border"): The barrier between Egypt and Israel, with a soldier guarding the watchtower, and barbed wire surrounding the area. (The soldier stood up and reached for his weapon as the car I was in slowed, as this photo was taken.) This is the new border, rebuilt after having been broken down by desperate Palestinians under total Israeli seige in Gaza in late January of 2008.
- Sheep, guided by a young Bedouin shepherdess, meet minivan. The two share the road, just as mountain-dwelling Bedouins, more urban Arish natives ("Arishiyya"), Palestinians, and "Egyptians" share the town of Arish.
- Domestic Women’s NGOs in Bangledesh have internalized the ideas and even slogans of the United Nations and its agencies. The picture shows a poster widely displayed in women’s groups across Bangladesh, which reflects a widespread shift in the approach of these domestic organizations from one of charity, based on a concept of giving to women in need, to one of empowerment, grounded in an understanding of the inalienability of women’s human rights.
- This picture captures morning rush hour in Dhaka. I made my way in a rickshaw or local taxi every morning to meet my informants. The traffic was dire, but somehow the rickshaw drivers knew I was in a rush and told me they would engage in “risky” driving, which felt more like playing bumper cars than driving to work.