A look at globalization from the local that is South Kalimantan. Overall a discussion of how globalization can be understand as a process of friction (hence the title) between local, state, intra-state, and international forces over matters such as frontier creation, ways of seeing nature, resistance, migration, culture.

Basically Tsing takes a whole boatload of stuff and admirably tries to make sense of it as it is occurring in this one area impacted by timber and mineral extraction.