Life Beyond Waste: Work and Infrastructure in Urban Pakistan

Waste workers in Lahore, Pakistan, from low- or noncaste (Dalit) groups are drawn from to dispose the collective refuse of the city's 11 million inhabitants. This historical and ethnographic account examines how waste work has been central to organizing and transforming the city, its landscape, infrastructures, and life across historical moments, from the colonial period to the present. Waqas H. Butt traces how forms of life in Punjab, organized around caste-based relations, have become embedded in infrastructures across Pakistan, making them crucial to numerous processes unfolding at distinct scales.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 250 pages
Publication date: 16 June 2023
Publisher: Stanford University Press

Over the past few decades, Lahore has experienced significant transformations, encompassing rapid urbanization, the expansion of state institutions, and the emergence of informal economies. These transformations are particularly evident when examining the role of waste materials and the lives of those who work with them. In Lahore, as in many parts of Pakistan and South Asia, waste workers, whether municipal employees or informal laborers, are drawn from low- or noncaste (Dalit) groups. Their responsibility is to dispose of the collective waste of the city's 11 million inhabitants. However, the interaction between these workers and potentially polluting materials reinforces their stigmatization and marginalization. Despite this, their work is essential for maintaining life in Lahore and beyond.

This historical and ethnographic account delves into the central role of waste work in organizing and transforming Lahore throughout different historical periods. It builds upon conversations about the changing configurations of work and labor under capitalism and utilizes a theoretical framework of reproduction to explore how forms of life in Punjab, structured around caste-based relations, have become embedded in infrastructures across Pakistan.

Life Beyond Waste argues that processes reproducing life in a city like Lahore must be critically assessed in terms of caste, class, and religion, which have been constitutive features of urbanization across South Asia. By examining these factors, the book sheds light on the complex dynamics and inequalities that shape urban life in Lahore and beyond.

The book also highlights the resilience and creativity of waste workers in navigating the challenges they face daily. It explores their strategies for managing waste, negotiating with authorities, and finding ways to improve their working conditions. Through their stories, Life Beyond Waste offers a nuanced understanding of the complexities of urban life and the vital contributions of waste workers in sustaining communities.

In conclusion, Life Beyond Waste provides a valuable contribution to the study of urbanization, waste management, and the lives of marginalized communities. It offers a critical analysis of the transformations that have taken place in Lahore and highlights the importance of recognizing the role of waste workers in shaping the city's landscape and infrastructures. By examining the intersections of caste, class, and religion, the book sheds light on the complex dynamics of urban life and the need for inclusive and sustainable development in cities across South Asia.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503635722