Nomad Properties

What does the discourse on nomadism say about anthropological concepts of western societies? This edited volume relates historical instances of nomadism to the role of 'the nomad' in political discourses and recent theoretical debates. The figure of the nomad was and still is constructed as an antagonist within a (neo-)liberal frame of narratives about sedentarism, productivity and improvement. Whereas the discourse about nomadism in the 18th and 19th century was entangled with colonial contexts and ideas about so called 'primitive' societies, it became even more multifaceted in the 20th century, considering ideas about 'nomadic thinking' of Deleuze or Guattari, and different forms of 'modern nomadism' on the rise: from travelling day laborers to refugees of war, to scientists, to a global managerial class.

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