The Art of Reception: Field Visits as Microcosms for Development Interventions of Non-Governmental Organisations in Uganda

Abstract

Field visits are common phenomena with non-governmental organisations in Uganda. During these visits, Ugandan national staff guide visitors on series of meetings and interactions in the field. Following an actor-oriented approach and drawing on ethnographic data on 14 field visits, this paper understands the field visit as a microcosm for the development industry. The space is manufactured and mediated through what is coined here the art of reception, which is a combination of presenting and curating the field—fieldmaking—and co-constructing the roles of visitors—visitormaking. These dynamics prioritise internal safety and continuity of the visit, and follow interests and power asymmetries that exist in the aid chain, such as asymmetries in mobility, knowledge and credibility. Understanding how these microcosms work contributes to an understanding of NGO development as a whole, and the ways in which development is manifested in encounters, as well as how encounters shape development processes.