Traditionally, the study of bureaucracy has been the remit of sociologists and political scientists, but a growing number of anthropologists have directed their attention to state and non-state bureaucracies in recent years. Anthropologists have gained original insights into the empirical workings of bureaucracy across the world, beyond the European and North American context where it is usually studied, and beyond the classical picture of rational efficient practice held under the control of central authorities. This seminar series presents current ethnographic work on bureaucratic structures and practices, with attention to the power of everyday organizational conventions, rules, ideologies, and documents.
This series features in the following public collections:
