Alessandro’s book project on amber across trade, industry, and science, featuring case studies from China, Mexico, Italy, and Poland, among others.
Amber Bursts
Here the individual research projects that make up AMBER are presented as short "Amber Bursts", introducing the project participant's various engagements with amber.
Leni's PhD project on the geological heritage of modern Lebanon, exploring how geological disciplines not only unearth planetary pasts but also shape material presents and speculative futures.
Yayi’s project examines the mining, carving, and trading of amber in China, while also considering how the production of scientific knowledge around amber is intertwined with the politics of its collections.
Laur's project explores the future of ethnic struggles and wars in times of ecological catastrophe, and nationalism in the Anthropocene, through fieldwork among the Kachin people – between Burma (Myanmar), China and India.
Delázkar's project on how class, gender, and ethnicity shape the extraction and trade in Chiapas amber, between Simojovel and San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
Sarah’s project explores how amber artisans in Chiapas, Mexico, remain entrepreneurial and hopeful despite the many uncertainties that shape their lives, from global price fluctuations and the physical violence in Chiapas to the absence of state support in promoting artesanías [crafts].