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In his talk "Comparison and Connectivity in the Era of Globalization" Arjun Appadurai spoke about the supposed contrast between comparison and connectivity, using the example of asian modernities. Amongst other things he brought on the example of buddhism which exists in different local versions, not as an alleged coherent whole.

One of the central remarks of Appadurai was that "history produces geographies" which emphasized the contingency of events: some things are happening, others are being prevented from happening, e.g. by trivial factors like traffic jams or road blocks.

When he asked how one can compare at all, especially extremely different things, Appadurai stated: "You have to get close." He solved the alleged contrast between comparison and connectivities by claiming to instead compare connectivities - this would be simply more manageable.

In the workshop the next day, doctoral students had the chance to talk to Arjun Appadurai about their interests and own research. He let all askers tell him about their projects and questions.

Photos: Rebecca Moltmann