Ståle Wig
Biographic Data
| ID | 3640485 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ståle Wig |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ståle |
| FAMILY NAME | Wig |
| SIGNATURE | WIG S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Social Anthropology, University of Oslo, Norway [email protected] |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Othering the state
Anthropologists have documented the tendency of certain populations to conceptualize state authorities as an Other, a ‘they’, distinct from ‘us’, the struggling majority. This study examines contemporary Cuba to shed light on this phenomenon. Based on fieldwork among market traders in Havana, I analyse the inclination to characterize state power as an ominous ‘they’ as a response to a form of statecraft that presents itself as homogeneous and ins…
In memory of Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962-2024)
One Saturday morning in late November 2024, a young man entered a residential area near the University of Oslo, carrying a letter and a package, searching for the home of the prolific Norwegian anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen. Earlier, this man, Giulio, a master's student from Sicily, had visited me in my university office seeking advice. He had recently returned from Fiji, where he had studied the impact of rising sea levels forcing people…
Anthropology and absurdity
Street Rhythms and the Revolution
Cuban street vendors use pregones, high-pitched rhymes and rhythms, to promote their goods and services. This ambulant form of small-scale commerce has been part of the urban soundscape since the early years of Spanish colonization. While often celebrated as a vibrant addition to the nation's identity, the pregón has sometimes been regarded as a nuisance that must conform to the regulations and preferences of elites or stay silent. This paper exp…
Pity the rich man
Across the world, economically marginalized people employ inventive strategies to encourage pedestrians to part with small sums of money by offering goods or services rather than directly requesting cash. People who use drugs wander urban streets selling magazines that some will buy but few will read. The homeless clean car windows that need no cleaning or provide token items instead of requesting donations because asking for money is contentious…
Imagined individuality
If no man is an island, if we are inherently social creatures, how should we understand people’s claims to be valuable individuals, separate from their environment? Based on ethnographic research among self-employed Cuban market traders, this article analyses performances of imagined individuality to understand how people cultivate a notion of themselves as separate from social ties. In Cuba, work in the growing private sector provides a foundati…
Battlegrounds of dependence
Interdependence is a fundamental characteristic of human existence. The way in which certain dependencies are acknowledged as opposed to those that are hidden, or the ways in which some are validated while others are denigrated, is central to how social inequalities are reproduced and recreated. In this introduction we explore how particular dependencies are categorized, separated, and made visible or invisible as part of their performative effec…
The Dawn of Something Unknown
Social change can be like an undetected shift in the weather. In one moment, endless blue sky fills the horizon, promising a lazy day of sunshine. Slowly, however, unnoticed clouds appear. Before one knows it, wind rips through trees, rain pounds the ground and one is left wondering how it all could change so fast. Over the last twenty years, there has been a change of weather in the world of development. In a time when activists and scholars hav…
Volunteer Economies
Across Africa today, as development activities animate novel forms of governance, new social actors are emerging, among them the volunteer. Yet, where work and resources are limited, volunteer practices have repercussions that raise contentious ethical issues. What has been the real impact of volunteers economically, politically and in society? The interdisciplinary experts in this collection examine the practices of volunteers - both internation…
Volunteer Economies
Across Africa today, as development activities animate novel forms of governance, new social actors are emerging, among them the volunteer. Yet, where work and resources are limited, volunteer practices have repercussions that raise contentious ethical issues. What has been the real impact of volunteers economically, politically and in society? The interdisciplinary experts in this collection examine the practices of volunteers - both internation…
The Dawn of Something Unknown
Social change can be like an undetected shift in the weather. In one moment, endless blue sky fills the horizon, promising a lazy day of sunshine. Slowly, however, unnoticed clouds appear. Before one knows it, wind rips through trees, rain pounds the ground and one is left wondering how it all could change so fast. Over the last twenty years, there has been a change of weather in the world of development. In a time when activists and scholars hav…
The Dawn of Something Unknown
Social change can be like an undetected shift in the weather. In one moment, endless blue sky fills the horizon, promising a lazy day of sunshine. Slowly, however, unnoticed clouds appear. Before one knows it, wind rips through trees, rain pounds the ground and one is left wondering how it all could change so fast. Over the last twenty years, there has been a change of weather in the world of development. In a time when activists and scholars hav…
Volunteer Economies
Across Africa today, as development activities animate novel forms of governance, new social actors are emerging, among them the volunteer. Yet, where work and resources are limited, volunteer practices have repercussions that raise contentious ethical issues. What has been the real impact of volunteers economically, politically and in society? The interdisciplinary experts in this collection examine the practices of volunteers - both internation…
Imagined individuality
If no man is an island, if we are inherently social creatures, how should we understand people’s claims to be valuable individuals, separate from their environment? Based on ethnographic research among self-employed Cuban market traders, this article analyses performances of imagined individuality to understand how people cultivate a notion of themselves as separate from social ties. In Cuba, work in the growing private sector provides a foundati…
Battlegrounds of dependence
Interdependence is a fundamental characteristic of human existence. The way in which certain dependencies are acknowledged as opposed to those that are hidden, or the ways in which some are validated while others are denigrated, is central to how social inequalities are reproduced and recreated. In this introduction we explore how particular dependencies are categorized, separated, and made visible or invisible as part of their performative effec…
Anthropology and absurdity
Street Rhythms and the Revolution
Cuban street vendors use pregones, high-pitched rhymes and rhythms, to promote their goods and services. This ambulant form of small-scale commerce has been part of the urban soundscape since the early years of Spanish colonization. While often celebrated as a vibrant addition to the nation's identity, the pregón has sometimes been regarded as a nuisance that must conform to the regulations and preferences of elites or stay silent. This paper exp…
Pity the rich man
Across the world, economically marginalized people employ inventive strategies to encourage pedestrians to part with small sums of money by offering goods or services rather than directly requesting cash. People who use drugs wander urban streets selling magazines that some will buy but few will read. The homeless clean car windows that need no cleaning or provide token items instead of requesting donations because asking for money is contentious…
In memory of Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962-2024)
One Saturday morning in late November 2024, a young man entered a residential area near the University of Oslo, carrying a letter and a package, searching for the home of the prolific Norwegian anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen. Earlier, this man, Giulio, a master's student from Sicily, had visited me in my university office seeking advice. He had recently returned from Fiji, where he had studied the impact of rising sea levels forcing people…
Othering the state
Anthropologists have documented the tendency of certain populations to conceptualize state authorities as an Other, a ‘they’, distinct from ‘us’, the struggling majority. This study examines contemporary Cuba to shed light on this phenomenon. Based on fieldwork among market traders in Havana, I analyse the inclination to characterize state power as an ominous ‘they’ as a response to a form of statecraft that presents itself as homogeneous and ins…
History (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Aesthetics (2 works) · Anthropological Studies and Insights (2 works) · Anthropology (2 works) · Art (2 works) · Cuban History and Society (2 works) · History (2 works) · Law (2 works) · Philosophy (2 works)