Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at El Paso, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Faculty Fellow, The University of Texas at El Paso, Center for Inter-American and Border Studies
Contributor, Platypus, The CASTAC Blog
About Bilge
Trained as a political anthropologist, I research questions of access and accountability through the corridors of power. My doctoral work honed in on the political and policy negotiations and lobbying during Turkey’s contentious integration to the EU in Brussels. My current research follows energy transport infrastructures connecting Europe and Asia via Turkey in their making. I am Assistant Professor of Anthropology at The University of Texas at El Paso.
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Contributions to Platypus, The CASTAC Blog
View all of Bilge's posts on Platypus, The CASTAC Blog.
Infrastructure as New Life?
Today, logistics as the science and industry of cross-border transportation of mainly industrial products drives “revolutions” from energy to retail. As most world economies continue to accelerate their involvement with economic globalization, logistics continue to take over local economies in many regions around the world. Paradoxically, many states and sovereigns around the world are also looking (back) to logistics infrastructure as a panacea to curb the half-century-long devastating effects of deregulation of trade, finance and services on nation-state-centric political economies. One can observe this move both in countries of North America and Europe, where the post-1950s deterioration of public infrastructures has long been a problem. The Right’s recognition of this deterioration was at least partly responsible for carrying it into power, for example, in the U.S., although the Left has also occasionally touted this kind of infrastructure politics. In places like China, or Turkey, a country with which I am (read more...)