Project
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Circuits of value, streams of stuff: Living off the global trade and treatment of "e-waste"
Applicant |
Hertz Ellen
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Number |
149559 |
Funding scheme |
Project funding (Div. I-III)
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Research institution |
Institut d'Ethnologie Université de Neuchâtel
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Institution of higher education |
University of Neuchatel - NE |
Main discipline |
Ethnology |
Start/End |
01.11.2013 - 30.04.2017 |
Approved amount |
459'759.00 |
Show all
All Disciplines (2)
Social geography and ecology |
Keywords (10)
circular economy; health and environmental hazards; ITC penetration; informal sector; e-waste; electric and electronic equipment (EEE); Nigeria; China; recycling; global trade networks
Lay Summary (French)
Lead
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Les flux de matériel électronique usagé, qui contiennent un large spectre de matériaux dangereux et/ou précieux, connaîssent la croissance la plus rapide de la planète. En dépit de l’interdiction qui frappe l’exportation de déchets dangereux vers les pays « en voie développement », ce matériel fait l'objet d'un commerce extrêmement dynamique, d'une ampleur globale. A la fois convoité et menaçant, il a un impact important sur les conditions de vie et de travail de millions d'être humains.
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Lay summary
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Dans cette recherche, nous suivons deux flux d'EEE ayant été peu étudiés jusqu'ici. Le premier est constitué d’ordinateurs portables de deuxième main qui quittent la Chine et les USA pour atterrir au Computer Village de Lagos (Nigéria), le plus grand marché de matériel informatique d'Afrique. Le second est composé de déchets électroniques, importés ou générés en Chine et qui sont démantelés dans de petits ateliers comme dans de grandes usines de recyclage afin d'en extraire les composants de valeur. Notre étude analysera les réseaux, les motivations, et les compétences des personnes qui vivent de ces activités ainsi que les entraves et soucis (d’illégalité, de santé, de survie économique) qu'elles rencontrent. Sur ces bases ethnographiques, nous interrogerons les initiatives locales, nationales et internationales en matière de gestion de matériel électronique usagé, notamment en abordant deux politiques de développement associées à ce champ : la promotion de la pénétration des TIC sur le continent africain, d'une part ; et d'autre part, la valorisation de l’économie circulaire et les efforts de formalisation du secteur du recyclage en République populaire de Chine. La littérature scientifique existante au sujet du matériel électronique usagé, bien que vaste, est dominée par des considérations techniques. Notre approche ethnographique permettra de prendre du recul par rapport aux questions soulevées jusqu'ici et de mieux réfléchir aux solutions à envisager.
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Responsible applicant and co-applicants
Employees
Publications
Schulz Yvan, Steuer Benjamin (2017), "Dealing with discarded e-devices", in Sternfeld Eva (ed.), Routledge, London, 314-327.
Schulz Yvan (2017), "Reassemblages marginaux au coeur de la 'Mecque du hardware'", in
Techniques & Culture, 67(2017), 86-99.
Schulz Yvan (2016), "'Fin de vie' et renaissance clandestine en Chine du Sud. Quand des 'déchets' redeviennent des écrans plats", in
Techniques & Culture, 65-66(2016), 158-161.
Schulz Yvan (2015), "Towards a new waste regime? Critical reflections on China's shifting market for high-tech discards", in
China Perspetives, 2015(3), 43-50.
Schulz Yvan, Lora-Wainwright Anna, "In the name of circularity: Business slowdown in a Chinese recycling hub", in
Worldwide Waste, 1.
Schulz Yvan, "Scrapping 'irregulary': China's recycling policies, development ethos and peasants turned enterpreneurs", in
Journal für Entwicklungspolitik, 1.
Collaboration
School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-Sen University |
China (Asia) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results - Research Infrastructure |
Lagos Studies Association, Columbia University |
United States of America (North America) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results |
Sinology Department, University of Vienna |
Austria (Europe) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results - Publication |
School of Geography and the Environment and China Centre, University of Oxford |
Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Europe) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results - Publication - Exchange of personnel |
Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle |
Germany (Europe) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results |
Technology and Society Unit, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) |
Switzerland (Europe) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results |
Solve the E-waste Problem (StEP), United Nations University et al. |
Germany (Europe) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results |
Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the African Region |
Nigeria (Africa) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results |
Institut français de recherche en Afrique |
Nigeria (Africa) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results |
Institute for African Studies, University of Ibadan |
Nigeria (Africa) |
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- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results |
Faculty of Social Sciences, Lagos State University (LASU) |
Nigeria (Africa) |
Scientific events
Active participation
Title |
Type of contribution |
Title of article or contribution |
Date |
Place |
Persons involved |
Invitation to give lecture for BA seminar "Waste economies", University of Fribourg
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Individual talk
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"The political ecology of e-waste recycling in China"
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17.05.2018
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Fribourg, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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Invitation to give lecture for BA seminar on contemporary China, University of Geneva
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Individual talk
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"Innovation and environment: a political ecology approach to e-waste management and sustainability in China"
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17.05.2018
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Geneva, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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Séminaire: La deuxième vie des objets (DVO)
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Talk given at a conference
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"La Chine ferme ses frontières et c’est la panique à bord. Retour sur les origines d’un déséquilibre dans la gestion mondialisée des déchets recyclables"
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01.02.2018
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École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris, France
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Schulz Yvan;
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Invitaiton to give a lecture for MA student in International and Public Affairs, SIPA, Columbia Univeristy, New York
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Individual talk
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Hustler’s wonderland ? Selling used computers in Lagos, between opportunities and challenges
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04.12.2017
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New York, United States of America
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Sala Alice;
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Annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association
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Talk given at a conference
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"Turning the '3Rs' principle on its head: Electronics reuse in the face of China's circular economy project"
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03.12.2017
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Washington, United States of America
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Schulz Yvan;
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Séminaire : La vie politique des marchandises (VIPOMAR)
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Talk given at a conference
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Le puzzle comme métaphore méthodologique
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28.03.2017
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École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Marseille, France
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Schulz Yvan;
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Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth
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Talk given at a conference
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"When Excess Trumps Efficiency: Recycling Networks, Public Policies and the Growth Imperative in Contemporary China"
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04.07.2016
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University of Durham, Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Schulz Yvan;
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CHEW Conference
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Talk given at a conference
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"(In)visible Toxics and the Politics of Pollution in a Chinese 'E-waste' Processing Hub"
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21.05.2016
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Oxford University, Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Schulz Yvan;
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Lagos: from the Pepperfarm to the Megacity
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Talk given at a conference
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"Hustlers' Wonderland? Selling Used Computers in Lagos: between Challenges and Opportunities"
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06.05.2016
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Barnard College, United States of America
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Sala Alice;
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Invitation to give lecture in class on contemporary China
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Individual talk
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"Discours écologiques, modèles technico-commerciaux et enjeux de pouvoir. Le cas des 'déchets' électriques et électroniques en Chine du sud"
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05.04.2016
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University of Geneva, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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Undisciplined Environments, International Conference of the European Network of Political Ecology
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Talk given at a conference
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"Green is the New Red: On Some of the Political Origins and Implications of China's Green Craze"
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23.03.2016
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Stockholm, Sweden
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Schulz Yvan;
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Anthropology and Environment(s), Conférence Universitaire de Suisse Occidentale (CUSO)
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Talk given at a conference
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"Green is the New Red: On the Political Implications of China's Craze for Eco-Blah-Blah"
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11.03.2016
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Bevaix, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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"La gestion des déchets électroniques : nouvel enjeu Nord-Sud ?"
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Talk given at a conference
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Invited expert at round-table discussion
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03.03.2016
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University of Liège, Belgium
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Schulz Yvan;
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Annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association
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Talk given at a conference
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"Discarded Electrical and Electronic Devices and the Politics of Recycling in China"
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21.11.2015
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Denver, CO, United States of America
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Schulz Yvan;
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Annual meetings of the American Anthropology Society
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Talk given at a conference
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"A Global Computer Village: Used Computers shipped from Guangzhou to Lagos"
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18.11.2015
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Denver, CO, United States of America
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Sala Alice;
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Class for students in Master in Intercultural Studies, NLA University College
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Individual talk
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"Green and Greed: Critical Reflections on China's Shifting Market for Discarded Electrical and Electronic Devices"
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26.03.2015
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Beijing, NLA University College research trip, China
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Schulz Yvan;
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Academic Salon on Changing China
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Individual talk
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"看电器,看见垃圾——社会建构主义视域下的中国电子废弃物管理体系分析”
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19.12.2014
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Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Schulz Yvan;
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Réparer le monde – excès, reste et innovation
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Talk given at a conference
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"Une vie clandestine après la mort programmée. Remarques sur la visibilité des 'déchets' électroniques en Chine du sud"
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21.11.2014
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CNRS, Marseille, France
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Schulz Yvan;
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Going Green / Care Innovation
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Talk given at a conference
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"Is 'Formalization' of the 'Informal Sector' Really the Way to Go? A View from the Field in China"
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18.11.2014
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Vienna, Austria
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Schulz Yvan;
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Rencontres scientifiques MAPS
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Individual talk
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"La gestion des appareils électriques et électroniques d'occasion en Chine"
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14.10.2014
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University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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20th Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies
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Talk given at a conference
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"A tale of David and Goliath: Mapping the Chinese market for discarded electrical and electronic appliances"
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23.07.2014
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Braga/Coimbra, Portugal
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Schulz Yvan;
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New European Research on Contemporary China
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Talk given at a conference
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"Competing for High-Tech Trash"
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03.07.2014
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Beijing, China
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Schulz Yvan;
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Migrations, économies et mondialisation
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Talk given at a conference
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"Long Live Nigeria-China Friendship": Ethnographie d’un commence informel à longue distance d’ordinateurs de deuxième main
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11.12.2013
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Ecole nationale supérieure, Paris, France
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Sala Alice;
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PROWELL doctoral program on social problems
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Talk given at a conference
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"An Anthropological Perspective on E-waste Management in China"
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29.11.2013
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Flamatt, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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Annual Meeting of the Swiss Ethnological Society
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Talk given at a conference
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"An Anthropological Perspective on E-waste Management in China"
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09.11.2013
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Sierre, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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Self-organised
Knowledge transfer events
Active participation
Title |
Type of contribution |
Date |
Place |
Persons involved |
Invitation to give lesson in class "Globalization of Asia"
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Talk
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27.04.2016
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EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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U.N. E-waste Academy
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Talk
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06.12.2013
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Geneva and St-Gallen, Switzerland
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Schulz Yvan;
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Communication with the public
Communication |
Title |
Media |
Place |
Year |
Media relations: print media, online media
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“En Chine, l’obsolescence fait recette”
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Le Matin Dimanche
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Western Switzerland
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2018
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Awards
Prix Nexans 2018 pour la Thèse d'Yvan Schulz
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2018
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Abstract
Over the past few decades, international agencies, national governments, corporations, academics and the media have increasingly turned their attention to the global circulation of electric and electronic equipment (EEE), focusing on the environmental and health risks posed by its end treatment. This preoccupation with the “e-waste problem” is understandable. Waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) is currently the fastest growing solid waste stream on the planet and contains a wide range of hazardous chemicals that can cause considerable damage to human health and to the environment. Classifying as “e-waste” EEE that is discarded by its first user (pictured as located in the “North”), this “e-waste discourse” maps waste flow in a linear fashion that overlooks many important steps through which used EEE is transported, by material and semiotic means, from its first user to its end state (if indeed “end state” is the proper term). In so doing, the agents responsible for this circulation tend to disappear, as demonstrated by the frequent use of the passive form (“used computers are sent to…”), reflecting a lack of information about the actors behind e-waste’s global dynamics, and a temptation to see the receivers of used EEE (pictured as located in the “South”) as mere victims of a discriminatory system. This portrayal oversimplifies important nodes in the EEE-WEEE complex, and entertains a certain tension with two other areas of agenda-setting and policy-making: the push for greater “ITC penetration” into “developing countries”, and appeals to the notion of the “circular economy”, popular in environmental circles and officially promoted by countries such as China. Our research proposal starts from the observation that many human beings across the globe make of “e-waste” a livelihood; one man’s waste is another man’s resource. Beyond these economic considerations, used EEE and WEEE also offer an arena for the deployment of expertise, the creation of social relations and the construction of cultural imaginaries. Our project is built around two underexplored sites within this system. One study begins at Computer Village in Lagos, Nigeria, the largest used EEE market in Africa. The tradesmen and technicians at Computer Village deal in underdetermined objects: surplus, discarded, re-usable and/or defective EEE that they siphon back into circuits of EEE on the one hand, streams of WEEE on the other. We will investigate the commercial skills and networks of the largely Igbo traders who dominate this market, following them to China and the U.S., and probing their understandings of their trade. A second entry is through the “backdoor” into the urban neighborhoods and rural villages in China that are active in the disassembly and destruction of used EEE and the recovery of the valuable materials it contains. We will document the activities of this largely informal sector, and question the assumptions behind the “circular economy” and formalization of waste treatment currently being promoted by the Chinese government and international organizations. This project builds on on-going work being conducted by Ellen Hertz in the area of corporate social responsibility in the electronics industry, and will lead to two doctoral dissertations and a number of publications in high-ranking journals. We will also engage with key actors in the area of e-waste policy-making, such as the ILO and the Swiss Institute for Material Research (EMPA).
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