Anthropological takes on the ‘return of remoteness’ – Introduction
For a long time, the direction seemed to be clear: the days of remote areas were numbered and it was only a question of…
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This thematic thread offers different anthropological takes on the ‘return of remoteness’ on a global scale. Curated by Ruben Andersson and Martin Saxer.
Selective access or how states make remoteness
What makes a place remote? Is remoteness that which is geographically distant from the centre of administrative, political and economic activities? Or is remoteness…
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Banditry and the Politics of Remoteness in the Highlands of Madagascar
Over the past few years, the resurgence of rural banditry in many regions of Madagascar has been an important topic of public and political…
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Being there: Humanitarian remoteness
During World War II, Ruth Benedict conducted research about Japan at a distance. Challenging the stereotypical image of the white male researcher risking his…
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Making Remoteness in the Sonoran desert
When we think about deserts, we usually imagine them as quintessentially remote. We tend to take their remoteness as primordial rather than see it…
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Economic Remoteness and the ‘Development’ of Rural Ukraine
Brega, a village in Odessa province, Ukraine, has not always been a ‘remote’ place. During Soviet times, it was part of a thriving agricultural…
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Zomia 2.0: Political remoteness and neoliberal connectivity in two casino towns in Myanmar and Laos
The forested hills where Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and China meet are commonly known as the Golden Triangle, the world’s second largest opium-producing area. A…
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