[URBANTH-L]anthropological responses to current financial meltdown

[Vincent Lyon-Callo]

It would be interesting to explore the ways in which the current situation is impacting communities in a wide range of locations around the world.  Of course, like much of our work, that won't really be possible to know all that well today.

I also want to second Sue's recommendation about Brett's work on credit and debt.  The recent article in North American Dialogue has proven very useful for my discussions with students about some of what has contributed to today's conditions.  Of course, this is one article among many that have been analyzing the 2 decade long trajectory of policies and practices that have helped produce today's situation (I have to admit to being a little dismayed at how now that it is impacting priviliged people's investments we have a crisis, while working class people across the globe have been suffering the impacts of the faith based market economy for many years now and not many people were too concerned-Greenspan didn't seem to mind the increasing economic and social insecurities (in the US and globally) resulting from his practices when it only impacting working class people). 

But, mostly I wanted to respond to the notion of "the people and places we study".   It may still come as a surprise to some, but many of us do study people and places in the US and Europe (and have been doing so for many years now as anthropologists).

--
Vin Lyon-Callo
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008
269-387-3964

----- Original Message -----
From: bburke at email.arizona.edu
Date: Friday, October 24, 2008 6:42 pm
Subject: RE: [URBANTH-L]anthropological responses to current financial	meltdown

> 
> There have been some great reading recommendations from the list. 
> Thanks for
> those.
> 
> I think that one of the ways anthropologists may be able to 
> contribute to
> conversations about the crisis is by thinking about how this 
> change in the
> global economic landscape might affect individuals, households, 
> and 
> communities
> around the world. To date, talk about the crisis has focused 
> largely on the
> macro-economy and individuals within the US, and the macro-
> economies of other
> global financial centers. But can we begin to anticipate how these 
> changesmight "trickle down" to affect many of the people and 
> places we study? Can we
> use these projections to imagine possible responses (whether local 
> copingstrategies, supportive government policies, or something else)?
> 
> I certainly can't at this point, though I think we might get some 
> insights from
> other recent economic collapses (the East Asian Crisis, the 
> Brazilian and
> Argetine crises, the recent food crisis). I would love to hear 
> others' 
> thoughts
> on this based on their areas of expertise.
> 
> --brian
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------
> Brian J Burke
> University of Arizona
> Department of Anthropology
>   & Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology
> 
> International Honors Program & School for International Training
>   "Rethinking Globalization: Nature, Culture, and Justice"
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Message from suhyatt at iupui.edu ---------    Date: Fri, 24 
> Oct 2008
> 16:50:25 -0400    From: "Hyatt, Susan" <suhyatt at iupui.edu>Reply-
> To: "Hyatt,
> Susan" <suhyatt at iupui.edu> Subject: RE: [URBANTH-L]anthropological 
> responses to
> current financial meltdown      To: "urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu"
> <urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu>
> 
> > Caitlin Zaloom's book, Out of the Pits: Traders and Technology 
> from 
> > Chicago to London was published in 2006 but I believe it deals 
> with 
> > the culture of risk in an age where investing is now done 
> through the 
> > internet rather than on trading floors.  I also cannot recommend 
> > enough Brett Williams' book on debt-- Debt for Sale.  It was 
> > published around 2004 or 2005 but it absolutely sets the stage 
> for 
> > what is happening now.  She also has an excellent piece in this 
> > current issue of North American Dialogue, available for download 
> > through the SANA web site.
> >
> > Sue Hyatt
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu 
> > [urbanth-l-bounces at lists.ysu.edu] On Behalf Of David Valentine
> > Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 9:28 PM
> > To: urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu
> > Subject: re: [URBANTH-L]anthropological responses to current 
> > financial meltdown
> >
> > Hi Anke,
> > Karen Ho, here at U Minnesota, is having her book published on 
> her work
> > with Wall Street traders by Duke. Unfortunately it's not out yet 
> (she> sent back her final draft the same day Lehman Bros. went 
> south, and she
> > is reworking her intro furiously to account for the last few 
> weeks), but
> > I believe that Duke is working to get it fast tracked because of its
> > timeliness. The title is "Liquidated" (can't remember the subtitle).
> > She's also just given birth and is on leave, but she is checking 
> email> intermittently should you want to contact her: karenho at umn.edu
> > dv
> >
> > --
> > david valentine
> > assistant professor
> > department of anthropology + university of minnesota
> > 395 hubert h. humphrey center + 301 19th avenue south
> > minneapolis, mn 55455 + 612.626.8692 + valen076 at umn.edu
> >
> > office hours fall 2008: tues 10-11am, weds 2:30-4:30pm and by 
> appointment>
> >
> > "everything here is something" - Marge Simpson
> >
> >
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> ----- End message from suhyatt at iupui.edu -----
> 
> 
> 
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