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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 10h

Next chapters in Ticketless Travellers – Covid Diaries. Learn what lockdown felt like up close – shrinking rooms, longer days, loss of work, no wages, constant waiting, media travelling faster than the wind! ticketless-travellers.info/start/covid-...

Residents waiting for supplies from their local ration shop in demarcated circles during Covid. Savda, Delhi, 25/04/2020. ©Ticketless-Travellers

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

DFG project “Infrastructure and the Remaking of Asia through Adopting, Orchestrating, and Cooperating” concluded. The conference was organized by the MPI and the Asia Research Institute (ARI). The theme of the project is the development of new forms of infrastructure. ari.nus.edu.sg/events/infra...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Xiang Biao delivered the 66th Edward H. Hume Memorial Lecture in Chinese Studies in Yale University. Biao reflected on how Chinese society becomes less equal but more homogenized, and what this means for the young generation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXyy...

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66th Edward H. Hume Memorial Lecture, Hierarchical Egalitarianism, Xiang Biao

YouTube video by Yale University

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · 30/09/2026

Julia Vorhölters Forschung @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social schlägt eine Brücke zwischen #Ethnologie und #Schlafmedizin. Sie zeigt: Wie wir schlafen, wie erholsam wir das empfinden und wie wir mit Schlafproblemen umgehen, ist immer auch von unserer Umwelt geprägt. Mehr dazu -> www.mpg.de/20508704/

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Sinking Coasts Jovan Maud and Arne Harms discuss Arne's book 'Enduring Erosions: Environmental Displacement and Relocation on India’s Sinking Coasts', based on his ethnographic research in the Bengal Delta. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cheX...

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Talk On S3E5 | Enduring Erosions w/ Arne Harms

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"In our settlement, private nursing homes grow into big hospitals. The government dispensary stays the same crowded, overworked, stretched by every demand. The local chaos, to keep working." For more stories showing the burden carried by public health: ticketless-travellers.info/start/health/

Families often come and camp inside the larger hospitals to care for their loved ones. Renting hotels or even rooms are beyond their means. New Delhi, 2022, (c) Kavita Dasgupta

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Wie anpassungsfähig sind Rechtspraxis, Rechtswissenschaft, Rechtstheorie und juristische Ausbildung im Kontext von gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen in den Bereichen Kultur, Klima und Technologie? Mareike Schmidt forscht zu diesen Fragen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JC9...

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Kulturelle Pluralität, Klimawandel & digitale Transformation im Privatrecht — Mareike Schmidt

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Always wanted to know what exactly gleaning is? Listen to Amiel Bize talking with Xenia Cherkaev about the ethics and politics of gleaning in our episode of “Talk On — Debates in Anthropology” www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n2e...

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Talk On S3E4 | Who Gets the Remainder? Xenia Cherkaev w/ Amiel Bize

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · 03/09/2026

Maxi Kniffka vom Max-Planck-Institut für demografische Forschung in Rostock spricht im neuen „Ach, Mensch“- Podcast darüber, wie sich Klinikschließungen, Fachkräftemangel und die #Krankenhausreform auf die #Geburtshilfe in Deutschland auswirken. www.mpg.de/26957470/max... @mpidr.bsky.social

mpg.de

Warum schließen immer mehr Geburtskliniken?

Maxi Kniffka vom Max-Planck-Institut für demografische Forschung spricht im neuen „Ach, Mensch“- Podcast darüber, wie sich Klinikschließungen, Fachkräftemangel und die Krankenhausreform auf die Geburt...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

EthnologInnen der Abteilung 'Ethnologie, Politik und Governance' waren gestern zu Besuch beim Fraunhofer-Zentrum für Chemisch-Biotechnologische Prozesse CBP in Leuna, um sich am Beispiel der chemischen Industrie über soziale Transformationsprozesse zu informieren.

Foto der Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter der Abteilung 'Ethnologie, Politik und Governance' am MPI für ethnologische Forschung

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

What a University, and its relation to the public, should be like in the 21st century? Listen to Biao’s conversation with the Literature professor Laikwan Pang, moderated by Huang Shan, at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncv3...

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University and the Public: Staying with Our Common Concerns — Prof. Xiang Biao & Prof. Pang Laikwan

YouTube video by Department of Cultural & Religious Studies, CUHK

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

“Jijeevisha” (on endurance, after loss) Farid lost his child, his wife, his house. But not his humanity. He still helps others through the same hospital corridors that once overwhelmed him. For us, that’s Jijeevisha – the fight to keep going. ticketless-travellers.info/start/health...

Photo of the Dakshinpuri District Clinic, New Delhi 2022, (c) Kavita Dasgupta

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History @bhmpi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

⏰ Final week to submit your proposal for “Photographic Communities: How People Collaborate with Images”, a photo-historical seminar at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome, taking place March 15–19, 2027. ⏳Deadline: August 31, 2026. 🔗More info & application: www.biblhertz.it/en/opportuni...

(Photo by Massimo Piersanti of a group of several Italian participants around Achille Bonito Oliva at the 7th Paris Biennale, 1971, credit: Rome, MAXXI, Fondo Incontri Internazionali d’Arte)

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The porridge recipe video: Before setting out for Delhi’s long clinic queues, we cook Daliya- a cracked-wheat porridge. It steadies the body for hours of wait to come. A small act of care before stepping into uncertainty. Watch the porridge recipe video: ticketless-travellers.info/start/health...

‘Behind the scenes’ of cooking daliya porridge to fortify the body for a long wait at the local health dispensary. Dakshinpuri, New Delhi 2023
(c) Kavita Dasgupta

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Xenia Cherkaev @xcherkaev.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Thank you W-G! This SI takes the customary use-right of gleaning as a new optic on social life. Gleaning cracks private property open to collectivist claims, to the indeterminate gap where worthless things are still useful. Who gets the remainder? @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Don't miss: Jagat Sohail discusses his research on the experience of refugees in Germany during and after the "long summer of migration" in 2015. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXUG...

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Talk On S3E3 | Shadows of the Long Summer w/ Jagat Sohail

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Wie Bund und Länder die Wissenschaftsministerkonferenz und die Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz gegen Obstruktion absichern – soweit das Recht es zulässt. Unbedingt lesenswerte Analyse zu den Chancen und Grenzen, die Wissenschaftsfreiheit zu verteidigen. verfassungsblog.de/gesicherte-w...

verfassungsblog.de

Gesicherte Wissenschaft

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Max Planck Law @maxplancklaw.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The Law & Anthropology Department at the @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social is accepting applications for Dissertation Writing-up Fellowships. Deadline: 15 September 2026: recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/52... #AcademicOpportunity

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

The Law & Anthropology Department is offering positions for Dissertation Writing-up Fellowships. Deadline: 15 September 2026 recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/52...

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · 26/06/2026

Bei einem #Strandurlaub schnell vergessen: #Sand prägt das Leben in Küstenregionen, etwa als #Baustoff, und spiegelt soziale, politische & ökologische Machtverhältnisse wider. Wissenschaftler*innen @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social haben dies in Marseille & Mombasa untersucht. www.mpg.de/26846739/was...

mpg.de

Was Sand über Gesellschaft, Macht und Küsten verrät

Sand prägt Küstenregionen als Baustoff und Grenze, spiegelt soziale und ökologische Verhältnisse wider.

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Was machen eigentlich Ethnologinnen und Ethnologen? Drei Vorträge bei der Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften geben mindestens drei Antworten auf diese Frage. Nicht verpassen: 3. Juli, Halle, Uniplatz Melanchthonianum, Hörsaal D, 17–20 Uhr. lndwhalle.de/programm?sea...

Wort-Bild-Marke der Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften in Halle (Saale) am 3. Juli 2026

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Nicht verpassen: Podiumsdiskussion WISSENSCHAFTSFREIHEIT IN ZEITEN AUTORITÄRER VERSUCHUNGEN. Dienstag, 16. Juni, Anton Wilhelm Amo Hörsaal (IV) Steintorcampus, Ludwig Wucherer Straße 2, 06108 Halle, 18:15 Uhr, mit Claudia Becker, Justus Henke, Jörg Niewöhner, Lukas Otterspeer und Nikko Kulke

Poster zur Podiumsdiskussion WISSENSCHAFTSFREIHEIT IN ZEITEN AUTORITÄRER VERSUCHUNGEN

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Great news! The first episode of Season 3 of our Talk On podcast is now online. In this episode, Jovan Maud speaks with Anna-Lena Wolf about her book Labor on the Line: Justice at Work on Assam Tea Plantations, published by Cornell University Press in 2025. youtu.be/99rGXkWu1M8

youtu.be

Talk On S3E1 | Labor on the Line w/ Anna-Lena Wolf

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Waiting for treatment in Delhi’s hospitals In Delhi’s busiest hospitals, waiting is its own journey. A woman waits, her strength fading, her children close. Here, waiting isn’t stillness. It's an effort. Read the whole story: ticketless-travellers.info/start/health...

Photo of Patients and their family waiting outside one of Delhi’s largest hospitals. New Delhi, 2023
(c) Kavita Dasgupta

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The Department ‘Anthropology of Politics and Governance’ is offering a postdoc position (m/f/d). recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/52... Deadline: 30 June 2026

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

What happens when an ordinary labourer falls ill? As long as your body moves, there is no illness. It begins the day one can no longer get up. A day off means no wages and an empty kitchen. Illness lives not just in hospitals, but in homes and routines. ticketless-travellers.info/start/health...

Savda, Delhi 2022 (c) Kavita Dasgupta
https://ticketless-travellers.info/start/health/big-hospitals/

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Big News! Our "Common Concerns" podcast is available on all streaming platforms. In this podcast, Xiang Biao and his guests aim to transform social theory into a tool that empowers people to think for themselves. Also available as a video podcast. Watch the first episode youtu.be/BUr01b8Lw7E?...

youtu.be

The Common Concerns Approach: Birth of an Idea w/ Xiang Biao

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

AI appears threatening, Xiang Biao says, not only because AI is too powerful, but also because human has become too similar to AI. One way to stay human is to focus on the present and appreciate what surrounds us. www.thinkchina.sg/society/big-...

thinkchina.sg

[Big read] Xiang Biao: The life we miss while chasing the future

Amid the onslaught of AI, how do we preserve our humanity? Anthropologist Xiang Biao speaks with Lianhe Zaobao associate editor and Fukan editor Woo Mun Ngan as part of Lianhe Zaobao’s Future 365 inte...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Ticketless Travellers: Working-class literature as critical ethnography. Our writers are not just storytellers. They ask, observe, question, and return to the field. Their writing is research. Stories from lived experience, not spectacle. Read more: ticketless-travellers.info/start/sitemap/

Reading and reflecting is an integral part of writing at Ankur. Writing Workshop, New Delhi 2023
(c) Ankur Writers Collective

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

How can we, especially migrant scholars, defend academic freedom in the challenging times? Check out Grey Zones, Red Lines: Defending Academic Freedom in Law and Politics www.ecchr.eu/en/grey-zones/

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Check out Grey Zones, Red Lines: Defending Academic Freedom in Law and Politics www.ecchr.eu/en/grey-zones/ Based on ethnographic interview research and legal analysis the report provides concrete legal information for pushing back external interference and censorship.

ecchr.eu

Grey Zones

To counter injustice with legal interventions – this is the aim and daily work of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

We are looking for a Scientific Project Coordinator starting as soon as possible to join the Volkswagen Foundation-funded project “The Challenges of Applying Muslim Family Law in Democratic Liberal States: A Comparative Action-Research Project” recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/52...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Don't miss out: Hynek Bečka talking about political mobilization within the Czech conspiritual milieu. In his research he explores how people who call themselves "awakened" try to reimagine what it means to live a good life and enact a radical social change. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbWs...

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Conspirituality in Czech Republic

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

In the maze of Savda’s lanes, homes lean into each other for balance. Overhead wires form a sky of silent connections. Inside small, rooms, life is arranged with skill. This isn’t chaos. Its survival. Learn how the maze there becomes a map of resilience: ticketless-travellers.info

Photo of Savda, a resettlement colony on the outskirts of Western precincts of Delhi, 2022
(c) Kavita Dasgupta

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung (MPIfG) @mpifg.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Don’t miss next week’s session in our online series on Comparative Political Economy (MAX CPE): @franziscool.bsky.social on “Asset Politics: The Making of a Green Venture Capital Fund”. 📅 February 11, 1–2pm CET 📍 online 📧 Sign up: maxcpe@mpifg.de @humboldtuni.bsky.social s.gwdg.de/zG70h8

Workshop Flyer: February 11, 2026, 13:00. Franziska Cooiman, Humboldt University Berlin: "Asset Politics. The Making of a Green Venture Capital Fund"

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

At Ankur Collective: We always believed Everyone who sees, has something to show. Everyone who takes, has something to give. Everyone who reads, has something to write. Everyone who listens, has something to say. Learn more about what we have to say ticketless-travellers.info/start/about-...

The entire Ankur Writers team together for a workshop in New Delhi, 2023 (c) Ankur Writers collective

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Reposted by MPI for Social Anthropology

Verfassungsblog @verfassungsblog.de · 23/01/2026

Das Herzstück der Wissenschaftsfinanzierung in Deutschland ist die Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz, die GWK. Wie eine AfD-geführte Landesregierung die GWK und – und damit die Wissenschaftsfinanzierung – blockieren könnte, zeigen NIKKO KULKE und MATHES TRAUER. verfassungsblog.de/afd-wissensc...

Zitat aus unserem neuesten Blogpost von Nikko Kulke und Mathes Trauer: „Die Einstimmigkeitserfordernisse in der GWK bieten Tür und Tor für Blockaden bei der Finanzierung der außeruniversitären Forschungseinrichtungen und Hochschulförderung.“

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

In this book chat, Jovan Maud and his guests discuss Lisas book "Drama of Democracy", an ethnographic study of political life in Mumbai that examines how elections function within the broader landscape of everyday politics. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzTH...

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Drama of Democracy

YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

How do supply chains, as a mode of organizing the economy, also shape public and private life in China? How do people react in daily life? Read Biao’s latest piece “Supply-chain alienation and constructive counter-movements” www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Supply-chain alienation and constructive counter-movements

As a dominant mode of organizing the economy, supply chains also shape public and private life in China. The effect can be alienating, for instance, the widespread surveillance in everyday life tha...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Für die wissenschaftliche Abteilung ‚Ethnologie, Politik und Governance’ suchen wir zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine*n Fremdsprachensektretär*in (m/w/d) Bewerbungsfrist: 15.01.2026 recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/52...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Hybrid Conference 4–5 Dec "Environmental Rights in Multiple Contexts" by Dirk Hanschel & Max Planck Fellow Group www.eth.mpg.de/5308752/even... If you are interested, please send an email to elspeth.burdette@jura.uni-halle.de indicating whether you would like to join online or in person by 30 Nov

Conference poster:
Environmental Rights in Multiple Contexts
Stocktaking and Moving Forward
Conference (Hybrid) 4–5 December

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

For us, writing is a practice; a daily one. We have learnt to write and publish by writing again and again. Ankur organises mehfil (assemblies) to listen, read and recite. Learn more about Ankur in Delhi: ticketless-travellers.info/start/contri...

The Ankur Writers at work. Dakshinpuri, New Delhi 2024, (c) Kavita Dasgupta

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Für unsere Abteilung „Recht und Ethnologie“ suchen wir zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine Studentische Hilfskraft (m/w/d) für das Forschungsprojekt „CUREDI“ (Cultural and Religious Diversity Database Project). Bewerbungsfrist: 15.11.2025 recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/52...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

The DFG Emmy Noether Research Group ,Situated Care: Subjectivity, Knowledge, and Labor' is looking for 3 Doctoral Students (m/f/d) for an ethnographic study of peer support work across the German speaking countries. recruitingapp-5034.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/52...

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Watch Biao Xiang’s video summary of his thought on the changing relation between commodity circulation and state power in China www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD2J...

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Channels and Logistical Power: Making a ‘Perfect Market’ under Authoritarian Rule in China

YouTube video by Theory, Culture & Society

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Ethnologische Forschung zum Schicksal von Seeleuten während der Pandemie: Sonderausstellung im Deutschen Schifffahrtsmuseum Bremerhaven noch bis 1. März 2026. Jetzt auch online: Die Broschüre zur Ausstellung: www.doi.org/10.17617/2.3... [englisch] www.doi.org/10.17617/2.3... [deutsch]

Foto der Broschüre "Still stehen. Seeleute und Geflüchtete in der Pandemie" (c) Philipp Stumpf

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Delhi is carried by its people, brick by brick, shift by shift, word by word. In early mornings, long commutes, shared meals, the city is made and remade through care, labour and imagination. Here, scholars uncover what's left in the margins: ticketless-travellers.info/start/locali...

Photo of Khichripur, Delhi 2022
(c) Kavita Dasgupta

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Why does people’s awareness of social problems often deepen their feelings of powerlessness rather than empower them to push back? Read Xiang Biao’s article "Double alienation: regrounding critical consciousness in troubling times". www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Cover Image for Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Volume 26, Issue 4, (2025)

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Interested in rarely heard, but deeply felt stories about Delhi’s working-class neighborhoods? Read, watch and listen to what the Ticketless Travellers – a writing collective from Delhi– have to tell about the corner lanes behind the city. ticketless-travellers.info

Photo showing members of the Ticketless Travellers in Dehli. (c) Kavita Dasgupta

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MPI for Social Anthropology @mpisocialanthro.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Ethnologische Forschung zu Arbeitsrechten auf See: Podiumsdiskussion „Stuck in Mobility – Seeleute in der Pandemie“ am 11. September 2025, um 18:00 Uhr im Deutschen Schifffahrtsmuseum in Bremerhaven u.a. mit Luisa Piart. archive.newsletter2go.com?n2g=v2wug5kz...

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