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Talk On Debates in AnthropologyAuthor: Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Talk On Debates in Anthropology is a podcast of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle (Saale), Germany. In each episode of this podcast, one of our three hosts, Christoph Brumann, Xenia Cherkaev, or Jovan Maud, talks to the guest about their publications, research, and current debates in social anthropology. Language: en Genres: Science, Social Sciences, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Who Gets the Remainder? Xenia Cherkaev w/ Amiel Bize
Episode 4
Thursday, 20 August, 2026
In this episode of Talk On, Xenia Cherkaev speaks with Amiel Bize about their forthcoming special issue, 'Who Gets the Remainder? The Ethics and Politics of Gleaning'. They explore gleaning—the gathering and reuse of leftovers—as both a material practice and a moral claim. Drawing on examples from biblical traditions, East African fuel economies, Soviet factories, artisanal gold mining, urban recycling, and early modern dockyards, they examine why practices that may be illegal are often regarded as socially legitimate. Central to the conversation is the concept of “indeterminate property”: resources that are neither clearly private nor public. The episode shows how claims to such remainders challenge conventional ideas of ownership and market value while expressing obligations to prevent waste, redistribute resources, and preserve their usefulness. Gleaning thus emerges as a source of dignity, freedom, community, and resistance to alienating economic relations. Read more about the project here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02757206.2026.2670645
