Being Present: Emerging Ethnographic Perspectives and the Study of Laos

As Laos navigates development and globalization, Being Present examines the shifting role of ethnography in capturing the country’s changing realities.

Ethnography has long called on researchers to immerse themselves in the worlds they study—but what does it mean to “be present” in the field today? Being Present investigates this question through innovative research on Laos, a country rapidly changing at the crossroads of Southeast Asia and China. This volume brings together a new generation of scholars to explore Chinese-built railways, shifting farmlands, urban mourning rituals, and changing aspirations in Laos.

Covering infrastructure, health, trade, and spirituality, these studies challenge assumptions about ethnography. They show how immersion and reflexivity remain essential in a connected world. Being Present offers a fresh look at contemporary Laos and a timely reflection on ethnographic practice.

Paul-David Lutz is an anthropologist and (former) rural development advisor with a longstanding focus on Laos. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratoire d'Anthropologie des Mondes Contemporains, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. His ongoing research focuses on animism in the context of agrarian transition among ethnic Khmu.