Friction

An Ethnography of Global Connection

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology, Political Science
Cover of the book Friction by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing ISBN: 9781400830596
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: October 23, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
ISBN: 9781400830596
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: October 23, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

A wheel turns because of its encounter with the surface of the road; spinning in the air it goes nowhere. Rubbing two sticks together produces heat and light; one stick alone is just a stick. In both cases, it is friction that produces movement, action, effect. Challenging the widespread view that globalization invariably signifies a "clash" of cultures, anthropologist Anna Tsing here develops friction in its place as a metaphor for the diverse and conflicting social interactions that make up our contemporary world.

She focuses on one particular "zone of awkward engagement"--the rainforests of Indonesia--where in the 1980s and the 1990s capitalist interests increasingly reshaped the landscape not so much through corporate design as through awkward chains of legal and illegal entrepreneurs that wrested the land from previous claimants, creating resources for distant markets. In response, environmental movements arose to defend the rainforests and the communities of people who live in them. Not confined to a village, a province, or a nation, the social drama of the Indonesian rainforest includes local and national environmentalists, international science, North American investors, advocates for Brazilian rubber tappers, UN funding agencies, mountaineers, village elders, and urban students, among others--all combining in unpredictable, messy misunderstandings, but misunderstandings that sometimes work out.

Providing a portfolio of methods to study global interconnections, Tsing shows how curious and creative cultural differences are in the grip of worldly encounter, and how much is overlooked in contemporary theories of the global.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A wheel turns because of its encounter with the surface of the road; spinning in the air it goes nowhere. Rubbing two sticks together produces heat and light; one stick alone is just a stick. In both cases, it is friction that produces movement, action, effect. Challenging the widespread view that globalization invariably signifies a "clash" of cultures, anthropologist Anna Tsing here develops friction in its place as a metaphor for the diverse and conflicting social interactions that make up our contemporary world.

She focuses on one particular "zone of awkward engagement"--the rainforests of Indonesia--where in the 1980s and the 1990s capitalist interests increasingly reshaped the landscape not so much through corporate design as through awkward chains of legal and illegal entrepreneurs that wrested the land from previous claimants, creating resources for distant markets. In response, environmental movements arose to defend the rainforests and the communities of people who live in them. Not confined to a village, a province, or a nation, the social drama of the Indonesian rainforest includes local and national environmentalists, international science, North American investors, advocates for Brazilian rubber tappers, UN funding agencies, mountaineers, village elders, and urban students, among others--all combining in unpredictable, messy misunderstandings, but misunderstandings that sometimes work out.

Providing a portfolio of methods to study global interconnections, Tsing shows how curious and creative cultural differences are in the grip of worldly encounter, and how much is overlooked in contemporary theories of the global.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book A Thirst for Empire by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book The Founding Myths of Israel by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Enigmas of Identity by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book How to Do Things with Books in Victorian Britain by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Chases and Escapes by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Philosophy of Language by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Chopin and His World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book The Persuadable Voter by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Weyl Group Multiple Dirichlet Series by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Cultures in Motion by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Corrupted into Song by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Mountain of Fame by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Only Yesterday by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book Free Trade Reimagined by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Cover of the book The Origins of Happiness by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy