“Old Paths, New Roads”

In “Roads” Harvey and Knox suggest that in many developing countries; roads have meaning beyond their functionality. They are technologies of social integration, economic development, and modernization. (p. 7) They also explain that roads as connective technologies hold for both economic development and political integration. (p. 22) In Masquelier article, he explores some of the culturally specific images through which rural Nigeriens articulate their experience of modernity, an experience characterized by a profound ambivalence toward roads, mobility, and mass transport. (p. 831)

Seeing roads as a part of modernization with historical views draw my attention to one of the oldest roads of the word “Silk Road”. With today’s terminology, it would consider an international road. The Silk Road or Silk Route is an ancient network of trade routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the west and east from china and India to the Mediterranean Sea. It has been active around 114 BC to 1450 CE and trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the civilizations of China, the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Europe, the Horn of Africa and Arabia, opening long-distance, political and economic relations between the civilizations. Silk road is a combination of international roads and smaller branches between cities. At the very end of Lemon's article, she notes "specific oppositions about transit are made in relation to general political and social concerns about movement, money, and people after a regime shift. Talk about transit, its practices, and infrastructures, really concerns who should be included in the city, in the nation." (p. 35) It made me think about how these roads shaped, who was in charge of taking care of them and who benefited from them. There should have been some agreements and there are inscription in different teritories that shows they were collecting tax from traders who were using those roads. There is no doubt in Silk road economical, political, and cultural importance.
The idea of revival of Silk road introduced by Chinese president Xi Jinping in 2013. One of the steps that recently were taken, was after lifting sanctions against Iran, China sent a train to Iran from the trading hub of Yiwu. President Jinping introduced the new "Silk Road Economic Belt” and the 21st Maritime “Silk Road” initiative to connect stronger logistics networks with Asia, Africa, and Europe by building more roads, railways, and airports.” (Press TV article)

“Silk Road” train departs China for Iran:
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/01/29/447871/Silk-Road-train-departs-China-for-Iran-