Periplus Circles

Periplus Circles convenes closed discussions on the anthropology of power and knowledge: how authority is represented, how it is exercised and why the relationship between the two differs from place to place. Seminars bring together ethnographers and practitioners working across Africa, the Middle East and South, Central and Southeast Asia. Each session explores a single question across several regions, grounding comparison in detailed local knowledge. Members include university faculty, independent scholars, field researchers and those with direct experience of the environments under discussion. Members propose, present and chair the seminars, which are held online under the Chatham House Rule. Collected volumes on selected themes are planned, with contributions agreed separately with their authors. The first seminars will be announced shortly. Anyone drawn to these questions is welcome to express interest or propose a seminar or theme.

Upcoming Seminars

The first seminars will be announced shortly. Members will be notified by email. Those who would like to propose a seminar or a theme are welcome to indicate this when they express interest.

Beyond its core work, Periplus Research is building pro bono partnerships to support the documentation of endangered languages, oral knowledge systems and manuscript traditions. The emphasis is on fieldwork by local researchers documenting the languages, practices and literatures of their own communities. When languages fall silent and traditions of transmission are broken, knowledge can be lost with them. We welcome approaches from academic institutions, foundations and researchers working in these fields.