This seminar examines methodological and theoretical challenges in studying globalisation, focusing on how materiality shape local worlds. Integrating anthropology, urban studies, and geography, we will assess how materials like milk, concrete, mud, waste, and iron both reflect and influence social, economic, and cultural processes across different contexts and scales. These materials play key roles in connecting biological and mineral domains, revealing value chains, and illustrating the metabolism of modern societies from raw resources to waste. The discussion is grounded in shared anthropological and geographical fieldwork in West Africa, with an emphasis on urban marginal areas.
The introductory class outlines the methodological and theoretical approach, highlighting the advantages of interdisciplinary perspectives and presenting the research context. Subsequent lectures address specific materials and case studies—such as milk, oil jerry cans, knots, waste, and mud for anthropology, and city construction materials for geography—with the final session dedicated to a concluding discussion with students.
Armelle Choplin is a Geographer and Urban Planner, Professor at the University of Geneva
Riccardo Ciavolella is an Anthropologist at the EHESS, Director of Research at the CNRS
