Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

In rural southern Kyrgyzstan, bread and clothing circulate through communal exchange, embodying an 'ethics of circularity' where value emerges through movement, transformation, and relationality. How are (im-)mobile objects and people integrated—or excluded—within such enduring relational economies?

Paper long abstract

In rural southern Kyrgyzstan, women carry bread in reed baskets. They take homemade bread to feasts, where it is mixed, stored and served to guests. However, most of the bread is used to fill the same baskets, so women can take them home filled with bread. While some women complain that this bread exchange is a nuisance, the constant movement of people and things is crucial to maintaining relationships.

It's not only bread that is exchanged in this way; clothes also rotate between women's wardrobes, with some items kept specifically for this purpose. When headscarves are no longer fit for gifting, some are repurposed to tie bundles of clothes together or to serve as handles when wrapped around reed baskets. Some elderly women manage to prepare their clothes for a final distribution event after their death, when all their female relatives will receive an item from their clothing bundles.

According to the 'ethics of circularity' implied by the exchange of bread and clothing, the value and meaning of objects and individuals lies in their movement, interaction and transformation. How do things brought by migrants circulate in such systems? When sharing and circulation are central to social life, how do they prevent valuable items from entering these circuits when they return home?