States of dependence: Introduction

Abstract

Anxieties around the moral effects of states of ‘dependence’ remain central to political and social debate across the world. At a time when the association between wage‐labour and a particular valorised conception of adult male independence is increasingly hard to sustain, these contests can take on new forms and new levels of intensity. Anthropology has a potentially valuable contribution to make to these discussions, having long made descriptions of particular forms of ‘dependence’ central to many of its most distinctive analytic framings. Nonetheless, the concept of ‘dependence’ itself has rarely been explicitly theorised in anthropological theory, as opposed to other concepts with which it has often been theoretically entwined, such as ‘exchange’, ‘reciprocity’ or ‘debt’, which have been subjected to more concerted theoretical investigation. The papers in this collection provide a series of comparative ethnographic explorations of the role of dependence in shaping new forms of sociality across the globe, as a contribution to the development of an anthropological understanding of the continued evolution of the term’s meaning and effect in the 21st century.

Battlegrounds of dependence

“…Just as the "free market" is dependent on the state, so wage labor is dependent on the state for a welfare safety net without which it becomes precarious. It is therefore no accident that the concept of "dependence, " which is so intimately linked to the relationship between wage labor, kinship, and state welfare, has also taken an increasingly prominent role in anthropological discussions in recent years (Ferguson 2013;Martin and Yanagisako 2020;Vigh 2019).…”

Declarations of ‘Self‐Reliance’: Alternative Visions of Dependency, Citizenship and Development in Vanuatu

“…In preindustrial Europe, 'dependence' evoked a family of associations, referring to anyone who had to make a living by working for others, and those in foreign colonies and possessions (Fraser andGordon 1994a, 1994b). Macpherson (1962:263-4; see also Martin and Yanagisako 2020) described the rise of 'possessive individualism' in 17th century Europe, based on the assumption of the individual as self-proprietor, free to choose to enter into exchange relationships with others. At that time, ascriptions of 'independence' were still limited to those (white, male) property owners, who could live without labouring.…”

Wars of Dependence: Contested Histories Among Tolai People of Papua New Guinea

“…The increasing demands that they place on the new elite on the basis of kinship or reciprocal obligation are presented by the big shots as the abuse of custom rather than its extension. The expectation that they will be 'spoon-fed' (Martin 2020) is held to be the 'sickness' (Martin 2013:xx) that holds the country back and means that the poor do not 'produce' and stops them from improving their lot. 10 Rather than the poor's claims for assistance being seen as part of a web of interdependencies, they are seen as asking for everything while contributing nothing.…”

“…10 Rather than the poor's claims for assistance being seen as part of a web of interdependencies, they are seen as asking for everything while contributing nothing. In this respect, the contemporary situation in countries such as Papua New Guinea can be seen as a specifically Melanesian instantiation of a much wider trend towards the denigration of the poor for their 'dependence' that emerged in England in the 17th century (Macpherson 1962) and can currently be found in varying instantiations across the globe (Martin and Yanagisako 2020). The claim that 'custom' encourages dependence among the poor is an ambiguous one.…”