Event
Making the relational village – Revaluing, resituating and reviewing the Asian rural world
Date: February 5, 2025
On 5 February 2025, the Division of Rural Development at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) will be hosting a public lecture by Professor Jonathan Rigg, an esteemed scholar from the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol.
About the lecture
How do we, as educators and researchers, truly understand rural places and their inhabitants? The objects of our study—crops, farmers, rainfall, irrigation, and villages—often seem self-evident, almost requiring no further interrogation. Yet, what if the frameworks and tools we use are insufficient to grasp the deeper interconnections that shape rural life?
This lecture will delve into the intricate associations and dependencies that define villages beyond their physical settlement. It will explore how the labour that sustains rural communities can be revalued and will draw attention to the lives of villagers who remain deeply present even in their absence
Drawing on his 40 years of research across rural Asia—spanning Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam—and his recent engagements with the Division of Rural Development at SLU as a Guest Researcher, he will share insights from his forthcoming book, The Relational Village.
Please note that it is not necessary to register for this event and that it will be held only in-person.