Native on the Net : Indigenous and Diasporic Peoples in the Virtual Age

Is the global village a real possibility in cyberspace? Native on the Netexplores the influence of the internet on the lives and routines ofindigenous and diasporic peoples. With case studies ranging from theArctic to the Australian outback, Kyra Landzelius leads a team of expertanthropologists and ethnographers who go on-site and online to explorehow a diverse range of indigenous and transnational diasporiccommunities actually use the internet. From the Taino Indians of theCarribbean to the U’wa of the Amazon rainforest, from the Turcomans andAssyrians of Iraq to the Tongas and Zapatistas, Native on the Net is a livelyand intriguing exploration of how new technologies have enabled thesepreviously isolated peoples to reach new levels of communication andcommunity: creating new communities online, confronting globalcorporations, or even challenging their own native traditions.As well as offering a rich exploration of local use of the internet,important recurrent themes such as the relationship between identity andplace, community, traditional cultures, and the nature of the ‘indigenous’are explored in varying contexts, providing a unique contribution to ourknowledge of the impact of new global communication technologies onthose who have traditionally been geographically, politically andeconomically marginalised.Kyra Landzelius is an anthropologist (PhD, University of Pennsylvania)and currently a researcher at the University of Gothenburg. She has beenan Assistant Professor at Centre College, a Visiting Scholar at theDepartment of Anthropology, Cambridge University, and a Lise MeitnerFellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Science, Technology andSociety in Graz. Her work has appeared in Social Science and Medicine, theJournal of Material Culture, and Indigenous Affairs. Exploring the influence of the Internet on the lives of indigenous and diasporic peoples, Kyra Landzelius leads a team of expert anthropologists and ethnographers who go on-site and on-line to explore how a diverse range of indigenous and transnational diasporic communities actually use the Internet. From the Taino Indians of the Caribbean, the U’wa of the Amazon rainforest, and the Tunomans and Assyrians of Iraq, to the Tingas and Zapatistas, Native on the Net is a lively and intriguing exploration of how new technologies have enabled these previously isolated peoples to reach new levels of communication and community: creating new communities online, confronting global corporations, or even challenging their own native traditions. Featuring case studies ranging from the Artic to the Australian outback, this book addresses important recurrent themes, such as the relationship between identity and place, community, traditional cultures and the nature of the ‘indigenous’. Native on the Net is a unique contribution to our knowledge of the impact of new global communication technologies on those who have traditionally been geographically, politically and economically marginalised. The Internet is increasingly being used by marginalized ethnic groups to create a form of community and unified political voice. This book explores the lives and agendas of these web users and the political effects of their online activity.