Introduction: Effective Slownesses

There are probably few problems more universal than that of the variability of speeds at which a given distance might be covered; this applies, arguably, not only to humans and earthly non-humans, but really to any material body in any possible universe. Yet, through one of those curious processes of extreme scalar condensation by which matters of ultra-localised concern come to illuminate matters of very general import (a sort of intellectual operation that social anthropologists have tended to make a speciality of), the papers gathered in this special issue all concur to show how this problem poses itself in a unique way for Inner Asian populations.1 Several case studies presented here thus illustrate how strikingly contrasted speeds may be coordinated by a given population within a single system of mobility. Reindeer sledges glide their cargo away through the frozen Siberian tundra, while aircrafts can be seen jolting about up in the air, as they transport a handful of select passengers from one settlement to the other. Horse-relay servicemen wrap up their bellies tightly, so their innards remain in place as they gallop hundreds of miles across the Mongolian steppe and up mountainpasses on a daily basis, while wayfaring camel caravans step measuredly through distant yet well-trodden routes for months on end. There is indeed more than one way in which moving to or through places might be achieved in these areas, and the introduction of motorised land or airborne transport has only added to the possibilities, rarely replacing any pre-existing one. Yet of course, travels are hardly the only occasions for people to be on the move in Inner Asia, where different brands of nomadic pastoralism involving different mobility patterns have been tried out, abandoned or adopted