Paper short abstract:

Student: You’ve been to other African cities, haven’t you? Me: Yes. Student: Are all African cities as disgusting as this one? (Fieldtrip, 2013) This paper asks what do students really learn from a fieldtrip? And, reflects on the unintended learning of fieldtrips to places normatised as ‘developing’.

Paper long abstract:

The fieldtrip to a 'developing' country is a ubiquitous part of many postgraduate development studies programmes. In 2013 and 2014 I led a two-week trip to Ethiopia with 60-70 students on a UK masters programme. In 2013, a worrying yet fascinating conversation with a student (recounted above), prompted me to reflect on epistemologies of 'the field' in international fieldtrips (especially to countries normatised as 'developing'), particularly the expectation among students and instructors that 'the field' is a place of difference punctuated by "exotic" encounters. To better comprehend the effects of 'the field' on students' learning, in 2014, I introduced an assessed reflexive field diary to understand what the fieldtrip experience teaches students about themselves and their relationship to the field. In this paper I present critical reflections on 'the field' in development studies fieldtrips drawing upon students' diary entries and geography literature that speaks to a provocative concept - 'the tropics'. These reflections illuminate prevailing challenges in the study and practice of development - and the politics of our teaching - and suggests a way forward.