The Politics of Community-making in New Urban India: Illiberal Spaces, Illiberal Cities

This book explores the relationship between the production of new urban spaces and illiberal community-making in contemporary India, based on an ethnographic study in Noida. It demonstrates a flexible planning approach that enables illiberal community-making in new cities, with exclusivist forms of solidarity and symbolic boundary construction forming the crux of this process.

Format: Hardback
Length: 262 pages
Publication date: 17 April 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into the intricate interplay between the creation of new urban spaces and the emergence of illiberal community-making in contemporary India. Drawing upon an extensive ethnographic study conducted in Noida, a city situated on the eastern periphery of Uttar Pradesh, bordering the national capital Delhi, the author presents a profound exploration of this dynamic relationship.

The book unveils a flexible planning approach as a pivotal catalyst in India's post-liberalization urbanization, where a small-scale industrial township undergoes a remarkable transformation into a thriving real estate-driven modern city. However, its true essence lies in the argument that this entrepreneurial turn can also foster a distinct form of illiberal community-making in these emerging urban landscapes, distinct from older metropolises. At the heart of this process lies the formation of exclusive forms of solidarity and symbolic boundary construction, stemming from the diverse communities and their internal heterogeneities.

The author examines this intricate process through three distinct yet interconnected socio-spatial forms: planned middle-class residential quarters, 'urban villages,' and migrant squatter colonies. By seamlessly blending radical geographical conceptualizations of social production of space with sociological and anthropological approaches to urban community-making, the book offers a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the complex dynamics at play.

This captivating work will appeal to a wide range of scholars and readers, including those engaged in development studies, sociology, urban studies, and those with a keen interest in the society and politics of contemporary India/South Asia. It provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of urbanization, the challenges faced by communities, and the potential for both positive and negative outcomes in the shaping of urban spaces.

Weight: 670g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367517960