Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection Review

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Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection ReviewI picked this up from the city library after a professor showed it to me, admitting she hadn't read it; what a good decision that was! I bought a copy a few weeks later. At this point, I've probably read 'Friction' three times, and once or twice a year I'll pull it off the shelf to graze through Tsing's accomplished prose and absolutely jam-packed observations.
'Friction' deals with conflict in the rainforest of Indonesia, but that is a superficial description of a book that reads like a hero-less political thriller set in a multitudinous, global carnival of atrocity, adaptation, and survival. Tsing includes a large cast here: indigenous, rainforest communities, black market loggers, hikers, special forces units, environmentalists, multinationals, NGOs, political parties, and so on. Remarkably, none of these groups are left out as the book comes together. Rather, the reader is treated to a smooth description of the connections that are threaded between all of them, however insignificant they may have first appeared.
I am not sure that Tsing's concept of friction (the cultural co-formation occurring in global economy) is really original or functional enough to merit its role as title. It's an old concept that has worn different clothes (eg, 'creative destruction'). However, this is just a quibble, as Tsing also forwards a range of theoretical propositions that succeed in elaborating both her research subjects and a tentative sense of hope. Trees are social networks, 'universals' are promiscuous jet-setters, and utopias are valid rallying cries in apocalyptic landscapes of environmental devastation.
Tsing should be, and has been, praised for her restrained prose, which allows events to convey their moral impact without subjecting the reader to a sermon. Her writing is fluid, rhythmic, athletic and most of all, economical. I'm often surprised how small the book seems for the amount of writing it holds.
Finally, the presentation is refreshingly light. A few intriguing images are scattered through the book, traditional ecological knowledge is given some space, and poetry, extensive citations, excerpts from advertisements all work to expand the range of 'Fricton' while freeing up the weight of the text.
This is not your standard 'shock' and 'outrage' expose of corporate immorality. Instead, it is a detailed and novel look at the spectrum of actors involved in the formation of socioeconomic reality. 'Friction' would be a great choice for anyone looking for a complex analysis of the ongoing, global reticulation of capital, culture, environment, and technology. The book is accessible enough for popular consumption and detailed enough for academic and professional specialists. For those interested in the anthropology, ecology, economics, geography, or sociology of frontiers and margins, start here.Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection Overview

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