"A Field Man Rather than a Desk Man": Global Careering in International Development

Abstract: This article focuses on global careering in international development from the 1950s to the 1980s. Drawing upon a wide array of archival documents from the International Labor Organization and the World Food Program, as well as private documents and published material of Dutch social scientist Gerrit Huizer, the article tracks the "birth" of an expert and his expertise. It highlights both his personal transformation from "a field man" to "a desk man" and the evolution of his expertise from community development to wider questions related to peasant organization and agrarian reform across the globe. From Sicily to Mexico, from Chile to the USA, and from Switzerland to Thailand and the Netherlands, Huizer's professional trajectory illuminates the complex interplay of personal experiences, institutional networks, and global dynamics in shaping the evolution of expertise in international development and its impact on the contemporary world.