Category Mobilities
Widening the lens: English teaching volunteering
by Ruthie Walters Overseas volunteering has received a lot of attention in academia, in the media and on social media. Yet, the focus tends to be on the volunteer, often from the Global North, whilst the communities visited are referred to as ‘the voluntoured’, ‘recipients’ or simply ‘host communities’. As a result, I was often left wondering about […]
Going home. Going home? The anthropologist is coming along
by Hannah Schwemin Booking flights, getting train tickets, stuffing bags and guessing how much space we need for the food we will bring back with us from our visit home. But is it even possible to visit home? December is that time of the year when many people go home to see their families. For […]
Crossing the Border
by Iris Ruyu Lin When I returned to the U.K. from Norway on 15th of January, it was my first trip back to the country since moving to Brighton in September. I felt at ease, waiting in the queue with other seemingly anxious first-time tourists, with my U.K.-issued Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) in my bag. […]
The Rail Strikes: The Unheard Voices of Train Drivers
by Kate Longland **A shorter version was published 24 January 2017 at http://www.ecnmy.org/engage/asked-southern-rail-drivers-theyre-strike/** The Southern rail strikes have been quite a hot topic in the news due to the impact that delayed and cancelled Southern trains are having on those who travel by train, particularly commuters. The strikes were called by ASLEF, the train […]
China’s East Wind Blows… To Barking, London
by Magnus Marsden Magnus Marsden and Diana Ibañez Tirado anticipate the arrival of the ‘East Wind’ freight train in London from the Chinese city of Yiwu. As much as bringing Chinese-made goods to the UK, they argue, the train should also serve as a reminder of the critical role played by migrants and mobile people […]
From the Field: Herat
Notes from the Field: Regional Connectivity as a Site for the Ethnography of Diplomacy, Afghanistan 6/10/16 – 6/11/16 was originally published on the University of Copenhagen’s Asian Dynamics Blog. by Magnus Marsden During this last year of research I have had the opportunity of attending a number of most thought provoking meetings. I have been able […]