Scale and Accumulation
"Scale is the spatial dimensionality necessary for a particular kind of view, whether up close or from a distance, microscopic or planetary" (Tsing, Chapter II, p.58).There have many definitions and attempts to define the 'scale', but it's quite too complex to translate this term in concrete word. Then the interesting point we may focus about is the process of scale-making. Our world we lived has many fragments and frictions in multidimensional visions. The way to accumulate and try to establish the general interpretative understandings will base on the 'generalization' or the process of forming or expressing in general notions gains from the observation or even comparison of individual facts or appearances. In order to reach the universal truths also need the establishing the 'axiom of unity' and convergences among disparate forms for bridging and raising of the collaborative perception on the natural objects.
For 'sclae-making projects' can be categorized into several layers but the main substances are local, national, regional, and global level. Because scale is not neutral frame drawing the globe, or separable between local and global only via looking the world as homogeneous lens. According to Tsing's The Economic of Appearances described on the financial conjuring in which helps readers to extend their understanding about how the globe comes into being as a culturally specific set of commitments and a set of practices. Further explaining how articulations among globalist, nationalist, and regionalist projects bring each project to life. Our world is existing in the main rhetoric of Capitalist world (in case that we are looking at the context of economic and development perspectives). By the intertwining among three layers of scale in the national (franchise cronyism), regional (frontier culture; Kalimantan frontier in Indonesia, etc.), and the global level for financial capital leads to the accumulation of the complete picture as Tsing called " The Spectacular Accumulation." In this case, Indonesia was picked up as the case study about this accumulation with the role of amazing Bre-X Canadian company echoed widely about the dramatic scene appealing many focuses especially in the investment motivation. Later, the creation of the 'Miracle Nation' forced potential frontier regions into lawless violence and abolished customary tenure, comply with many regulations for mining the gold that obligated in Canada.
This kind of spectacular accumulation reflects conversely with the 'flexible accumulation' on popular Fordism. And the conceptualized globalization by Harvey also suggest the condensation of time and space that space grow smaller and time more instantaneous and effortless. But for the case of the Bre-X and this spectacular accumulation; the space is enlarged and time is quickened in the rush of acceleration, not effortless anymore. The world is kind of complex and scaling becomes a real task to final. However, the hardest task for us may be the establishing of 'Universal Regime.' In which the global Nature cab facilitate the governance regimes, making technical standardization an international imperative, and activate the international negotiation as well. But the failure of International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) with empty concept of sustainable development reflect the confrontations and discomfort on collaborations in which these did not prove a convincing 'axiom of unity'; moreover, the 'universality' increases the harder task for us to see who is considerable imagined insider or outside genre. As in this case of ITTO that the one who knows about the problem of forestry on the ground like local foresters or spokespeople to wildlife has been excluded, left to the inquiry about what is global Nature can reach us to, facilitates or obscures worldwide collaborations in another way round.
"Nature offers various kinds of commitment to a global scale. Global Nature can collate facts from around the world... Global Nature made the knowledge of varied localities compatible" (Tsing, Chapter III, p.111).
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