Elephant convoys beyond the state

Animal-based transport as subversive logistics

Bibliographic Data

ID4475264
AuthorsJacob Shell (Temple University, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume37
Issue5
Pages905-923
Publication date2019-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning D Society and Space (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0263-7758 • E-ISSN: 1472-3433
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0263775818805491
OpenAlexW2898775417
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited33

This article explores and analyzes a form of subversive logistics: the use of trained Asian elephants in the mobilization of cargo and people. This unusual means of conveyance, whose zone of persistence is mainly in the forested uplands of Burma (Myanmar) and parts of northeast India, most comes into its own during logistical operations which occur without the use of fixed-route roads. Empirically, the article presents fieldwork conducted in Burma and northeast India between 2013 and 2017, as well as related archival research, including research about other transport animals like sled dogs and camels. The (perhaps surprising) role played by elephants during flood relief operations in recent times receives special attention here, as does the theme of elephant-based transportation during modern armed conflicts, such as the ongoing Kachin conflict in northern Burma and in the Burma theater of World War II. The article aims to help theorize the connection between mobility and political subversion, highlighting how landscapes which do not lend themselves to permanent transport infrastructure-and thus the presence of the state-are simultaneously places of potential resistance. A related aim is to contribute to our understanding of the elephant-human relationship itself, demonstrating how elephants and humans have worked together to produce constantly shifting systems of mobility

Geography · Political science · Politics · State (computer science · Subversion · Theme (computing · Computer Science · Geographies of human-animal interactions · History · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Law · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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