Circular Economies in an Unequal World

This landmark first anthropological open access volume on the topic of 'circular economies' brings together a range of international scholars with regional specialisations in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America to examine the concept's global implications. Aspirations towards circular economies have become increasingly prominent around the world, yet until now, social anthropology has largely neglected the potentially deep social impacts of this concept, focusing instead on metrics of waste, despite its obvious implications through every level of the economy and society." Please change this to: "Aspirations towards a circular economy have become increasingly prominent around the world, yet until now, social anthropology has largely neglected the potentially deep social impacts of this concept, despite its obvious implications through every level of the economy and society. This volume covers a diverse array of international actors, including waste-pickers, traders and policymakers, and the global movement of materials like metals, plastic and textiles. Through ethnographic and qualitative case studies, it exposes many of the tensions that exist between state and corporate ideal