Anthropology in the Margins of the State (School for Advanced Research Advanced Seminar Series)

The very form and reach of the modern state are changing radically under the pressure of globalization. Featuring nine of the leading scholars in the field, this innovative exploration of these transformations develops an ethnographic methodology and theoretical apparatus to assess perceptions of power in three regions where state reform and violence have been particularly Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. Rather than a geographic border, the term "margin" describes areas far from the centers of state sovereignty in which states are unable to ensure implementation of their programs and policies. Understanding how people perceive and experience the agency of the state; who is of, and not of, the state; and how practices at the margins shape the state itself are central themes. Drawing on fieldwork in Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Peru, Guatemala, India, Chad, Colombia, and South Africa, the contributors examine official documentary practices and their forms and falsifications; the problems that highly mobile mercenaries, currency, goods, arms, and diamonds pose to the state; emerging non-state regulatory authorities; and the role language plays as cultures struggle to articulate their situation. These case studies provide wide-ranging analyses of the relationship between states and peoples on the edges of state power's effective reign. The Form And Reach Of The Modern State Are Changing Radically Under The Pressure Of Globalization. This Innovative Exploration Of These Transformations Develops An Ethnographic Methodology And Theoretical Apparatus To Assess Perceptions Of Power In Three Regions Where State Reform And Violence Have Been Particularly Dramatic: Africa, Latin America, And South Asia. Understanding How People Perceive And Experience The Agency Of The State; Who Is Of, And Not Of, The State; And How Practices At The Margins Shape The State Itself Are Central Themes. State And Its Margins : Comparative Ethnographies / Veena Das And Deborah Poole -- Between Threat And Guarantee : Justice And Community In The Margins Of The Peruvian State / Deborah Poole -- Checkpoint : Anthropology, Identity, And The State / Pradeep Jeganathan -- Deterritorialized Citizenship And The Resonances Of The Sierra Leonean State / Mariane C. Ferme -- Anthropologist Discovers Legendary Two-faced Indian! : Margins, The State, And Duplicity In Postwar Guatemala / Diane M. Nelson -- Aids And Witchcraft In Post-apartheid South Africa / Adam Ashforth -- Operability : Surgery At The Margin Of The State / Lawrence Cohen -- Productivity In The Margins : The Reconstitution Of State Power In The Chad Basin / Janet Roitman -- The Signature Of The State : The Paradox Of Illegibility / Veena Das -- Contesting Displacement In Colombia : Citizenship And State Sovereignty At The Margins / Victoria Sanford -- Where Are The Margins Of The State? / Talal Asad. Edited By Veena Das And Deborah Poole. Based On Papers From A School Of American Research Advanced Seminar Entitled Anthropology In The Margins Of The State, Held In Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 22-26, 2001. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 289-320) And Index. "Featuring ten of the leading scholars in the field, this exploration of these transformations develops an ethnographic methodology and theoretical apparatus to assess perceptions of power in three regions where state reform and violence have been particularly dramatic: Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. Rather than a geographic border, the term "margin" describes areas far from the centers of state sovereignty in which states are unable to ensure implementation of their programs and policies. Understanding how people perceive and experience the agency of the state: who is of, and not of, the state; and how practices at the margins shape the state itself are central themes." "Drawing on fieldwork in Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Peru, Guatemala, India Chad, Colombia, and South Africa, the contributors examine official documentary practices and their forms and falsifications: the problems that highly mobile mercenaries, currency, goods, arms, and diamonds pose to the suite; emerging non-state regulatory authorities, and the role language plays as cultures struggle to articulate their situation. These case studies provide wide-ranging analyses of the relationships between states and peoples on the edges of state power's effective reign."--BOOK JACKET. Featuring Ten Leading Scholars In The Field, This Volume Assesses Perceptions Of Power In Three Regions Where State Reform And Violence Have Been Particularly Dramatic: South Asia, Africa, And Latin America.

Examines concepts of the modern state and how those apparently at the margins are central to its workings.