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Short abstract:

This paper explores power dynamics in logistics through an ethnographic study of marginalized actors along the roadsides of the Sino-Kazakh border. Using a "logistics from below" approach, it seeks to stimulate dialogue between the realms of logistics, power, and law.

Long abstract:

Logistical hubs, such as docks, dry ports, and container terminals, have gained attention in recent years within the field of anthropological studies of logistics. As roads became emblematic of 21st-century material infrastructure (Dalakoglou and Harvey 2015), this trend coincided with the launch of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013. Within this context, the "Western Europe – Western China" (WE-WC) highway in southeastern Kazakhstan and the Khorgos dry port on the Sino-Kazakh border have received particular focus as international transit corridors.

However, less conspicuous are the individuals who assist in facilitating daily logistical operations along the highway, and for whom "logistics is the bread of Kazakhstan". Their claims and contributions to logistical developments are frequently overlooked, yet they are crucial as they provide valuable insights into the scale and power dynamics within logistical worlds.

Over a 16-month period of ethnographic field research conducted in southeastern Kazakhstan between 2016 and 2019, with additional one-month follow-up visits each year, I examined the opportunities and challenges arising from the material infrastructures of the Khorgos dry port and the WE-WC highway.

This paper aims to make three contributions: Empirically examining the impact of multi-scale politics on local landscapes, with a focus on roadside economies; methodologically highlighting grassroots perspectives in logistics through the voices of less visible actors; and theoretically exploring the interplay of logistics, power, and law by focusing on how marginalized logistical actors navigate and circumvent ad hoc regulations.