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Linking Rural and Urban Circular Economies through Reuse and Repair
Author(s) -
Berry Brieanne,
Isenhour Cindy
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal for the anthropology of north america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2475-5389
DOI - 10.1002/nad.12103
Subject(s) - livelihood , reuse , context (archaeology) , interdependence , scarcity , commodification , politics , commodity , business , economic growth , economics , economy , political science , market economy , geography , engineering , agriculture , archaeology , law , waste management
Increasing resource scarcity and what has been called “the end of cheap nature” are prompting policymakers and scholars to foster more circular economies to reduce waste and lengthen the lifespan of material goods. Our essay critically examines the political and economic relationships between urban and rural geographies in the context of secondhand economies. Practices of bartering, swapping, selling, and repairing used goods have long been important to rural people and places, but the increasing commodification of discards risks upending rural livelihoods and ways of being as goods move toward urban centers. We explore the relationship between rural and urban reuse economies and suggest how future scholars of rural North America might contribute to strengthening and supporting localized reuse practices.