Bio

Kavesh’s research investigates how China’s mega BRI project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), shapes the everyday life of millions of poor people in Pakistan. In particular, China’s soaring demand for Pakistan’s donkeys through CPEC for developing a Chinese traditional medicine has presented multiple challenges for the economy, employment, and social values of marginalised populations in Pakistan. Kavesh’s project will develop a culturally grounded counter-narrative to this important geo-political manoeuvre by China through a critical examination of transformations in human-donkey relationships in a rapidly changing Pakistan.