Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 2011
In this introduction, we outline the general conceptual framework that ties the various contribut... more In this introduction, we outline the general conceptual framework that ties the various contributions to this special issue together. We argue for the importance of anthropology to “take on” mobility and discuss the advantages of the ethnographic approach in doing so. What is the analytical purchase of mobility as one of the root metaphors in contemporary anthropological theorizing? What are the (dis)advantages of looking at the current human condition through the lens of mobility? There is a great risk that the fast-growing field of mobility studies neglects different interpretations of what is going on, or that only patterns that fit the mobilities paradigm will be considered, or that only extremes of (hyper)mobility or (im)mobility will be given attention. The ethnographic sensibilities of fieldworkers who learn about mobility while studying other processes and issues, and who can situate movement in the multiple contexts between which people move, can both extend the utility of the mobilities approach, and insist on attention to other dynamics that might not be considered if the focus is first and last on (im)mobility as such. In this special issue, we do not want to discuss human mobility as a brute fact but rather analyze how mobilities, as sociocultural constructs, are experienced and imagined.
... What these studies have done, and what has been absent from the examination of financializati... more ... What these studies have done, and what has been absent from the examination of financialization in regulation theory, has been to examine ... On one side of the debate was Chairman Alan Greenspan, who believes that the surging stock market over-heated the economy by ...
... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Petty capitalists and globalization: flexibility, entrepreneur... more ... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Petty capitalists and globalization: flexibility, entrepreneurship, and economic ... Semiconductor Industry: Is Petty Commodity Production Still Relevant to High-Technology Development? ... on Work Alternatives in Crafts in the Rural Philippines 227 B ...
... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanx... more ... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanxi seem to facilitate efficient responses to unreliable regulatory systems, predatory corruption from ... Two obvious general explanations are, first, that the top leadership is deeply implicated in ...
Meanings of the Market : The Free Market in Western Culture, 1997
... 164 Alan Smart 'prevented or misdirected the process of modernisation&#x... more ... 164 Alan Smart 'prevented or misdirected the process of modernisation'(Turner 1981: 264 ... of state influence over the economy would automatically and quickly stimulate private sectorrecovery'as long ... 174 Alan Smart The sad chronicle of China's post-Mao attempt to introduce a ...
... Hong Kong's Chief Executive asked the Standing Committee of China's... more ... Hong Kong's Chief Executive asked the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress to ... of growth and their capacities to manage self-reflexively the material, social, discursive, and time ... the lack of control over industrial development in the Pearl River Delta that is ...
... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanx... more ... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanxi seem to facilitate efficient responses to unreliable regulatory systems, predatory corruption from ... Two obvious general explanations are, first, that the top leadership is deeply implicated in ...
Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 2011
In this introduction, we outline the general conceptual framework that ties the various contribut... more In this introduction, we outline the general conceptual framework that ties the various contributions to this special issue together. We argue for the importance of anthropology to “take on” mobility and discuss the advantages of the ethnographic approach in doing so. What is the analytical purchase of mobility as one of the root metaphors in contemporary anthropological theorizing? What are the (dis)advantages of looking at the current human condition through the lens of mobility? There is a great risk that the fast-growing field of mobility studies neglects different interpretations of what is going on, or that only patterns that fit the mobilities paradigm will be considered, or that only extremes of (hyper)mobility or (im)mobility will be given attention. The ethnographic sensibilities of fieldworkers who learn about mobility while studying other processes and issues, and who can situate movement in the multiple contexts between which people move, can both extend the utility of the mobilities approach, and insist on attention to other dynamics that might not be considered if the focus is first and last on (im)mobility as such. In this special issue, we do not want to discuss human mobility as a brute fact but rather analyze how mobilities, as sociocultural constructs, are experienced and imagined.
... What these studies have done, and what has been absent from the examination of financializati... more ... What these studies have done, and what has been absent from the examination of financialization in regulation theory, has been to examine ... On one side of the debate was Chairman Alan Greenspan, who believes that the surging stock market over-heated the economy by ...
... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Petty capitalists and globalization: flexibility, entrepreneur... more ... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Petty capitalists and globalization: flexibility, entrepreneurship, and economic ... Semiconductor Industry: Is Petty Commodity Production Still Relevant to High-Technology Development? ... on Work Alternatives in Crafts in the Rural Philippines 227 B ...
... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanx... more ... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanxi seem to facilitate efficient responses to unreliable regulatory systems, predatory corruption from ... Two obvious general explanations are, first, that the top leadership is deeply implicated in ...
Meanings of the Market : The Free Market in Western Culture, 1997
... 164 Alan Smart 'prevented or misdirected the process of modernisation&#x... more ... 164 Alan Smart 'prevented or misdirected the process of modernisation'(Turner 1981: 264 ... of state influence over the economy would automatically and quickly stimulate private sectorrecovery'as long ... 174 Alan Smart The sad chronicle of China's post-Mao attempt to introduce a ...
... Hong Kong's Chief Executive asked the Standing Committee of China's... more ... Hong Kong's Chief Executive asked the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress to ... of growth and their capacities to manage self-reflexively the material, social, discursive, and time ... the lack of control over industrial development in the Pearl River Delta that is ...
... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanx... more ... ment officials to use them as their umbrellas, or usurped the leaderships of the ... of guanxi seem to facilitate efficient responses to unreliable regulatory systems, predatory corruption from ... Two obvious general explanations are, first, that the top leadership is deeply implicated in ...
Panel at CASCA/IUAES, Ottawa, Canada, 2-7 May 2017
We invite you to submit a paper proposal for ... more Panel at CASCA/IUAES, Ottawa, Canada, 2-7 May 2017
We invite you to submit a paper proposal for our panel. The short and long abstract are below. If you have any questions, contact either of the convenors. Submissions can be done through the conference portal at: http://www.nomadit.co.uk/cascaiuaes2017/suite/panels.php5?PanelID=5288
Short abstract In the last decade, there has been a resurgence in studies of informality. Moving beyond the commonly used formal/informal dichotomy, this panel aims at developing a novel analytical framework for understanding the intertwining of the formal and the informal in governance and politics.
Long abstract In the last decade, in anthropology and other disciplines, there has been a resurgence in studies of informality. Scholarship has taken exciting new approaches to informality and its intersections with politics. The debates on informality are mainly structured along dichotomous formal/informal or legal/illegal lines, where government/law equates to formality, or along the Global North/Global South divide, in which the North stands for formality and the South equals informality. Recently a more nuanced understanding has emerged. In this view, the formal and the informal are always and everywhere intertwined. The economy, human settlements or politics are never structured only along institutional lines, but are also enacted in personalized actions and transactions. Domains that seem very formal also contain informal practices. Likewise, domains that seem very informal are also shaped by formal procedures and arrangements. In this panel, we will move beyond the formal/informal dichotomy and aim to develop a novel analytical framework for understanding how formal and informal practices are interconnected. Papers will address questions such as: How does movement from informality to formality, or vice versa, affect the dynamics of a field of practice and its consequences for different groups of people? Does formalization increase the potential for social mobility, or close off paths that are only available because of uncertain legal status? We are particularly interested in the implications of these changing views and dynamics for governance and politics at all scales.
Important contributions have been made to our knowledge of squatting in sociology, anthropology, ... more Important contributions have been made to our knowledge of squatting in sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, planning, and architecture. In addition, there is research led by international organizations, agencies and NGOs. Squatting is the occupation of vacant land or buildings, without the consent of the owner. But squatting involves a wide range of activities, claims, goals, resources, locations and relationships with authorities, and squatters can have many different profiles. A common response has been the creation of typologies. A central problem has been fragmentation of the approaches to the study of squatters. Interested in different dimensions, these literatures are separated by cleavages. We identify five main cleavages around which research is organized: North / South, urban / rural, survival tactics / social movements, buildings / lands, inhabitants / policies. Distinct approaches by scholars with different backgrounds and theoretical interests limit our ability to understand the phenomenon. In this entry, we attempt to address the diversity of issues and debates around them.
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Articles by Alan Smart
Papers by Alan Smart
We invite you to submit a paper proposal for our panel. The short and long abstract are below. If you have any questions, contact either of the convenors. Submissions can be done through the conference portal at:
http://www.nomadit.co.uk/cascaiuaes2017/suite/panels.php5?PanelID=5288
Convenors:
Alan Smart, University of Calgary [email protected]
Martijn Koster, Radboud University, Nijmegen [email protected]
Short abstract
In the last decade, there has been a resurgence in studies of informality. Moving beyond the commonly used formal/informal dichotomy, this panel aims at developing a novel analytical framework for understanding the intertwining of the formal and the informal in governance and politics.
Long abstract
In the last decade, in anthropology and other disciplines, there has been a resurgence in studies of informality. Scholarship has taken exciting new approaches to informality and its intersections with politics. The debates on informality are mainly structured along dichotomous formal/informal or legal/illegal lines, where government/law equates to formality, or along the Global North/Global South divide, in which the North stands for formality and the South equals informality. Recently a more nuanced understanding has emerged. In this view, the formal and the informal are always and everywhere intertwined. The economy, human settlements or politics are never structured only along institutional lines, but are also enacted in personalized actions and transactions. Domains that seem very formal also contain informal practices. Likewise, domains that seem very informal are also shaped by formal procedures and arrangements. In this panel, we will move beyond the formal/informal dichotomy and aim to develop a novel analytical framework for understanding how formal and informal practices are interconnected. Papers will address questions such as: How does movement from informality to formality, or vice versa, affect the dynamics of a field of practice and its consequences for different groups of people? Does formalization increase the potential for social mobility, or close off paths that are only available because of uncertain legal status? We are particularly interested in the implications of these changing views and dynamics for governance and politics at all scales.