香港六合彩

Professor Page's Inaugural Lecture

Tell us a little about your research...

Over the years I鈥檝e been finding different ways to explore how changes connected to human migration and economic development have shaped society and space in Cameroon, the place where I do my research.聽Some of this work has been historical, looking for example at histories of community development in the era of decolonization.聽Some have been environmental, looking at how conservation goals and politics intersected with the global demand for herbal medicine in The Structural Adjustment period.聽Some have been urban, looking at how water infrastructure was used to create self-governing citizens who were used to the idea of paying for services.聽

Some have been more concerned with emotions: exploring the dreams young Cameroonians have of going in search of adventures overseas, or the dreams older Cameroonians have of returning to their roots.聽I have been interested in exploring migration: looking at how Cameroonians in the diaspora are playing a role in changing their 鈥榟ome鈥�.聽Sometimes this is through formal, conscious 鈥楧evelopment鈥� activities working as groups 鈥� but more often it is through everyday individual activities: building a house, decorating a room, sending a remittance, sharing a meal, investing in a business, buying a car.聽

Most recently I鈥檝e been working with my colleagues聽听补苍诲听聽on more explicitly political topics related to the current security situation.聽It鈥檚 a fairly eclectic list of topics and I鈥檝e enjoyed drawing on similarly eclectic theoretical sources.聽Like the anthropologist聽聽(who also works in Cameroon), I鈥檓 increasingly confident that mixing topics and theories up is productive, whereas taking a punt on a particular approach and sticking with it in the hope that it has some privileged access to enlightenment is not.聽

As David says 鈥渁ll overviews are misleading and inadequate鈥� do not try to develop one.鈥澛燬o, 鈥榤ontage鈥� or 鈥榗ollage鈥� would be better metaphors for gathering it all together: no efforts are made to hide the discontinuities and contrasts between topics 鈥� indeed those differences are, I hope, revealing.聽I think this is what my kids might refer to as 鈥榡ump-cuts鈥�, but they would wince in embarrassment to hear me describe my work as a geography of jump-cuts.聽聽

Why is your research important?

鈥業mportant鈥� isn鈥檛 necessarily a word I would choose to describe my work, but I definitely hope it鈥檚 鈥榠nteresting鈥� or 鈥榙istinctive鈥� and maybe that is enough to make it important in a way.聽I haven鈥檛 troubled the research funders too much over the years, so I feel fairly free to follow the topics that my Cameroonian collaborators and I are curious about rather than the ones that are primarily useful or policy-relevant.聽

I鈥檝e always admired colleagues and disciplines that set out to change the world, but I find it hard enough to understand it.聽I do try to hone in on topics and frameworks that are different from what others are doing, which often steers me away from the obviously important topics in Cameroon like the impacts of climate change or pathways to poverty-reduction or sustainable development.聽

I do think it is crucially important to increase the global understanding of social change and everyday life in Africa though.聽The existing knowledge base is full of myths and generalizations (often the legacies of colonialism) that are worth de-bunking, and the field of African Studies is cautiously working out who should do that and how.

What inspires you in your work?

The unexpected and the unfamiliar.聽I love the enthusiasm of students when they get their first taste of discovery when doing their own research 鈥� that is a constantly refreshing experience and prevents me from becoming too jaded!聽Then there is what you read 鈥� more or less anything聽听辞谤听聽write about Cameroon will get my ideas flowing.

What has been your most memorable career moment so far?

Memory is a bit troublesome 鈥� it鈥檚 often the disasters that come to mind first!聽Like unwittingly getting caught up in a personal spat between feuding historians when journal editing, or embarrassing an entire lecture theatre by contesting a much-admired German professor鈥檚 interpretation of a well-known theorist when I was a post-doc.聽

But I鈥檝e some happier memories too 鈥� I do really treasure the messages students have written when they have got something out of my teaching.聽And I鈥檓 also always thrilled when Cameroonians (whether academics or not) find something they like in my work.聽聽

What passions/hobbies do you have outside of work?

My son Alex is really into film at the moment and I love going with him to the聽聽鈥� he鈥檚 introduced me to loads of new films and filmmakers.聽His younger brother Owen is getting into cooking, which has always been one of my passions too 鈥� we make cheese and marmite twists together.聽I love gardening and I鈥檓 enjoying helping a neighbour on his allotment.聽

It's great getting out on my road bike or into the countryside to hike up a hill.聽I鈥檝e always enjoyed being a Londoner and there鈥檚 a great show on contemporary聽聽right now, which I highly recommend.聽

And then there鈥檚 music鈥� I鈥檇 love to say I keep up-to-date (and I can honestly claim to have been listening to聽聽long before most people) but in the end the playlist is likely to alternate between聽听补苍诲听聽鈥� and I鈥檝e ceased to be embarrassed about it!

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I鈥檓 really enjoying聽, which gave me the idea for the structure of the inaugural lecture.聽It鈥檚 got lots of pictures and very short chapters, which is ideal at the end of the day鈥β�

Professor Pages' Inaugural Lecture, An extimate atlas of Cameroon, is taking place on Wednesday 10 January, 6:15pm at the Sir Ambrose Fleming Lecture Theatre.聽

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