This was next to the "Village Suisse" (still called so), which presented the idea of ideal Swiss life, clearly representing an 'us' in contrast with racialised others.
More here on representations of the Swiss National Exhibition of 1896: wp.unil.ch/pressesatiri...

Grateful for the reviewers and editors and the workers who allowed me access to their enmeshed personal and working lives. I'm also indebted to @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social, where I wrote much of this paper as a visiting fellow. @gvagradlibrary.bsky.social @gvagrad.bsky.social @gvagrad-gc.bsky.social

Despite such attempts at standardisation, personal bonds and trust remain central to their work. This complicates the idea that finance is standardised and homogenous, instead showing how finance professionals manage relationships, build trust and perform gendered affective labour.

There are 130 million microfinance loans in India and more than 95% of all microfinance staff are the ground workers who disburse and collect loans. These workers are required to reside away from their homes and are regularly moved to new locations to prevent forming close bonds with clients.

@gvagradlibrary.bsky.social @gvagrad.bsky.social

Despite the purported novelty of these financial inclusion programmes, these are in fact situated in a longer history of similar efforts under colonial rule. Curious to hear thoughts on the intersections of racial capitalism, indigeneity and finance!

a) The racial hierarchization of populations as financially (ir)rational
b) The privatization of commons, which makes access to credit not optional—but essential for survival.

it is a deeply political project, shaped by a longue durée of colonial governance and neoliberal reform. Here, I explore how contemporary financial inclusion projects carry colonial continuities and reproduce racialized hierarchies, highlighting two key dynamics: