Comparative Ethnographies

T h is b o o k is a b o u t m a rg in s , th e p la c e s f ro m w h ic h we s e e k to u n d e r s ta n d w h a t c o u n ts as th e s tu d y o f th e sta te in a n th ro p o lo g y . T h e c h a p te r s c o lle c te d h e r e b e g a n as p a r t o f a S c h o o l o f A m e r ic a n R esea rch a d v a n c e d sem in a r. T h e re w e ask ed a n th ro p o lo g is ts w o rk in g o n d if fe re n t reg io n s to re f le c t o n w h a t w ou ld c o n s t i tu te th e e th n o g ra ­ phy o f th e s ta te as e m b e d d e d in p ra c tic e s , p laces, a n d lan g u ag es c o n ­ s id e re d to b e a t th e m a rg in s o f th e n a tio n -s ta te . A lth o u g h we in v ite d a n th ro p o lo g is ts w hose w o rk fo cu sed o n reg io n s th a t h av e b e e n d r a m a t­ ically a ffe c ted by r e c e n t p o litica l a n d e c o n o m ic re fo rm s , we w ere in te r ­ e s te d in m o v in g away f ro m th e id e a th a t th ese re fo rm s h a d so m e h o w p r o d u c e d a w e a k e n in g o r s h r in k in g o f th e fo rm s o f r e g u la t io n a n d b e lo n g in g th a t s u p p o s e d ly c o n s t i tu te th e m o d e r n n a tio n -s ta te . O u r an a ly tica l a n d d e sc r ip tiv e stra teg y w as to d is ta n c e o u rse lv e s f ro m th e e n tr e n c h e d im ag e o f th e s ta te as a ra tio n a liz e d a d m in is tra tiv e fo rm o f p o litica l o rg a n iz a tio n th a t b e c o m e s w e a k e n e d o r less fu lly a r t ic u la te d a lo n g its te r r i to r ia l o r so c ia l m arg in s . In s te a d , we a sk e d se m in a r p a r t ic ­ ip an ts to re f le c t o n ho w th e p ra c tice s a n d po litics o f life in these a re a s sh a p e d th e p o litica l, reg u la to ry , a n d d isc ip lin a ry p ra c tic e s th a t c o n s t i­ tu te , so m eh o w , th a t th in g we call “th e s ta te .”