Bureaucratics

Jan Banning is a Netherlands-born documentary photographer. This publication presents a comparative study of the cultures & symbols of state civil administration – the institutions through which citizens are generally confronted with the state. Eight countries, based on political, cultural, and historical considerations, are represented: Bolivia, China, France, India, Liberia, Russia, Yemen, and the United States. The subjects are all civil servants holding executive power – from fiscal authorities to police, from governors to local clerks; each is posed at their desk.