Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection

Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing's Friction explores the social frictions that shape our world, using the Indonesian rainforests as a case study. It challenges the notion of globalization as a clash of cultures and offers methods for studying global interconnections.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 06 August 2024
Publisher: Princeton University Press

The Indonesian rainforests have been the site of a long-standing struggle over their resources and management. This struggle has been shaped by a range of social frictions that have played out over time. One of the key challenges in understanding these frictions is the widespread view that globalization invariably signifies a clash of cultures. However, anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing challenges this view by developing friction as a metaphor for the diverse and conflicting social interactions that make up our contemporary world. Tsing's book, "Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection," provides an invaluable portfolio of methods for the study of global interconnections. The book focuses on the social drama of the Indonesian rainforests in the 1980s and 1990s, where a host of competing interests—from environmentalists and North American investors to advocates for Brazilian rubber tappers, international funding agencies, and village elders—are drawn into unpredictable, messy misunderstandings. However, these misunderstandings can sometimes work out. Tsing's new preface to the book provides an updated perspective on the challenges of global interconnections and offers valuable insights into the ways in which we can navigate these complexities.

Dimension: 203 x 133 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691263519