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Rethinking the contributions of the Manchester School of Social Anthropology for political ethnography, the Politics of Relations elaborates its relational approach to the state along four interlaced axes of research – embeddedness, boundary work, modalities and strategic selectivity – that enable thick comparisons across spatio-temporal scales of power.
In Serbia local experiences of self-government, infrastructure and care motivate its citizens to “become the state” while cursing it heartily. While both officials and citizens strive for a state that enables a “normal life,” they navigate the increasingly illiberal politics enacted by national parties and tolerated by trans-national donors.
“This is a very impressive book. The analysis is developed in sustained, thoughtful and detailed engagement with a very broad range of existing literature. • Stef Jansen, University of Sarajevo
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Note on Text
Acronyms
Introduction: The Politics of Relations
Part I: The Local Council
Prelude I: The Ethnographic Position
Chapter 1. Embeddedness: Between Government and Representation
Interlude I: Transformations of Local Self-government
Chapter 2. Boundary Work: Rhythms of Self-government and Infrastructural Gridding
Chapter 3. Of Refugees and Fathers: The Tacit Social Policy of the Mesna Zajednica
Part II: The Centre for Social Work
Prelude II: Social Security and Care
Chapter 4. Modalities of Social Work: Inclusive Distribution vs. Exclusive Protection
Chapter 5. The Strategic Selectivity of Senior Home Care
Conclusion: Contours of a Relational Approach to the State
References
Index