Economics

States of circulation: Logistics off the beaten path

Driven by the momentous political and economic changes of the past decade and by the resurgence of popular resistance against globalization, the question of global supply chains has come back with a vengeance. Nearly two decades after the optimism around globalization fizzled out, the imperative of circulation remains so deeply ingrained in our world that it is almost invisible. Yet we are increasingly confronted with the realization that circulation also comes at a cost—it is both violent and fragile, in need of security, capital, infrastructure and constant maintenance; beyond its technical and economic aspects, circulation produces frictions, discontents, unwanted mobilities and shadow economies. It thus seems timely to articulate the varied and perhaps contradictory politics inherent in the ubiquitous imperative of making things circulate.

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Volume 37 Issue 5

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