Kathryn Besio University of Hawaii, Manoa Adventure travel and expedition mountaineering in northern Pakistan relies on Balti male laborers as porters. The doctoral dissertation research will examine transcultural interactions associated with the Karakorum portering economy, focusing on hitherto invisible participants in those transcultural interactions: women and children of Baltistan. Portering is the primary means by which cash is introduced to the village economy. The investigation will look at areas of conflict and the impact of this form of work in the village of Askole, Baltistan, Pakistan over two field seasons. Using participant observation and time-geographic analysis it will demonstrate how relations of portering are rooted in the daily activities of the research participants.
