“The Cultural Life of Things: Anthropological Approaches To Law and Society in Conditions of Globalization”
“The Cultural Life of Things: Anthropological Approaches To Law and Society in Conditions of Globalization”
“The Cultural Life of Things: Anthropological Approaches To Law and Society in Conditions of Globalization” American University Journal of International Law and Policy 10(2): 791 – 836.
- Reprinted in Alexandra George, ed., Globalisation and Intellectual Property (a volume in the International Library of Essays on Globalization and Law Series. Aldershott: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2006).
- Abbreviated version reprinted in Nicholas Blomley, David Delaney, and Richard T. Ford, eds, The Legal Geographies Reader (Oxford and Malden, MA: Basil Blackwell, 2001) 298-318.
Abstract: Anthropologists address historical developments such as the global restructuring of capital, post-Fordism, and the flexible accumulation of capital from perspectives that diverge substantially from those employed by lawyers, political scientists, or economists. The global restructuring of capital and the intensified flows of capital, goods, imagery, people, and ideas has shaken the authority of nation states, cast cultural differences into sharp relief, and undermined the capacity of governments to deal with social welfare concerns. The woman who purchases day care service without filling out social security forms, the gypsy cab driver who serves poor neighbourhoods without benefit of a license, the moonlighting software consultant, the craftsman building furniture in an area not zoned for manufacturing activity, the immigrant woman reading pap smears or sewing teddy bears in a poorly lit suburban garage, and the unlicensed African street vendor are all participating in the burgeoning informal economy that characterizes a global city like New York.
Link to article
Date Published: 1995
Publisher: American University Journal of International Law and Policy
Publisher Website: http://auilr.org/