Author Archives: Teo Ballvé

“Land laundering”: How Colombian Paramilitaries Hijack Grassroots Development

I wrote a guest blog post for Future Agricultures that gives a straight-forward preview of the talk I’m giving this week at the Global Land Grabs conference hosted by Cornell University. A teaser: With the start of peace negotiations this … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Development, Drugs, Forests, Illegality, Political Ecology, Political Economy, The State, Violence | Comments Off on “Land laundering”: How Colombian Paramilitaries Hijack Grassroots Development

Medicating Austerity and Biopower

I read the article “Attention Disorder or Not, Pills to Help in School” this morning in the NY Times and it freaked me out. Then, the article was sent around on my department’s listserve and I just can’t get over it. … Continue reading

Posted in Drugs, Everyday Life, Political Economy, The Body | Comments Off on Medicating Austerity and Biopower

The New Aesthetic Part I: Seeing Like A Machine

You know how sometimes you learn about something you had never heard of before and then you start seeing it everywhere? The New Aesthetic has been one of those things for me since Derek Gregory turned me on to it (sue … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Assemblages, Boundaries, City, Everyday Life, Media, Networks, Science & Tech., Spectacle | 2 Comments

Interweb Motley # 9

Benjamin Kunkel in the New Statesman critiques what he calls the “unbearable lightness of Slajov Žižek’s communism” and notes how the Slovenian philosopher’s celebrity produced an odd result: “A ruthless criticism of capitalism, it turned out, could still be contemplated … Continue reading

Posted in Interweb Motley | 1 Comment

In Conversation: E.P. Thompson and C.L.R. James

An interesting conversation recorded sometime around 1982 between two of my favorite historians: EP Thompson and CLR James. The most fascinating part of the 50-minute conversation/interview comes toward the end, beginning at about minute 43′ in which they start talking … Continue reading

Posted in Historical Materialism, Marxism, Nation/Nationalism, Post-Colonial, Race & Ethnicity | Comments Off on In Conversation: E.P. Thompson and C.L.R. James

Neil Smith and Eric Hobsbawm

Like so many others I was saddened to hear about Neil Smith’s untimely passing. People who knew him have all mentioned what a kind, warm, down to earth, and funny person he was—in this, I hope I follow his footsteps. … Continue reading

Posted in Bandits, Development, Historical Materialism, Illegality, Marxism | Comments Off on Neil Smith and Eric Hobsbawm

Interweb Motley # 8

The Altlantic dissects “Gangnam Style,” the South Korean music video sensation that has reached a gajillion youtube views, revealing its critical edge: a commentary on wealth, class, and value (aka capitalism) in contemporary South Korea by skewering one of its richest … Continue reading

Posted in #Occupy, Art, Interweb Motley, Media | Comments Off on Interweb Motley # 8

Theory from the South and Audiovisual Scholarship

The Johannesburg Workshop on Theory and Criticism published Volume 5 of its inhouse journal Salon (open access). The issue has a debate forum on the Comaroffs’ Theory from the South: Or, how Euro-America is Evolving toward Africa. I had seen something … Continue reading

Posted in Work Hack | 2 Comments

Video Abstract: Territories of Life and Death

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/9ChdRWJkF4o”] A more in depth written description of my project is forthcoming in the pages of Antipode. Thanks to the entire Antipode crew for the award and to others for their kind words.

Posted in Frontiers, Illegality, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Land, Peace, Political Ecology, Race & Ethnicity, Sovereignty, Spatiality, Territory, The State, Violence | Comments Off on Video Abstract: Territories of Life and Death

Paglen: The Last Pictures

Experimental geographer and artist Trevor Paglen’s most experimental project (so far) must be this new thing called “The Last Pictures” (video below) and it’s about to debut in New York. The itinerary of events in the U.S. and Europe are … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Frontiers, Media, Science & Tech., Spatiality | 3 Comments