Trust Matters: Parsi Endowments in Mumbai and the Horoscope of a City

Mumbai's Parsi community is one of the largest private landowners in the city due to its network of public charitable trusts. Leilah Vevaina's book "Trust Matters" explores the dynamics and consequences of this conjunction of religion and capital, proposing the trusts as a horoscope of the city. It explores the charitable trust as a technology of time, structuring intergenerational obligations and connecting past and present.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

Despite being a minority within the vast metropolis of Mumbai, the Parsi community stands as one of the city's largest private landowners. This remarkable achievement is largely attributed to their extensive network of public charitable trusts, which collectively hold a significant landholdings. In her book titled "Trust Matters," Leilah Vevaina delves into the intricate dynamics and far-reaching consequences of this unique convergence of religion and capital. Through her comprehensive exploration, Vevaina sheds light on the various activities that these trusts enable, including giving, disputing, living, and dying.

Vevaina demonstrates how communal trusts serve as the legal framework for formal religious giving and ritual in urban India, profoundly shaping communal life. She suggests that these trusts can be viewed as a horoscope of the city, representing a constellation of housing, temples, and other spaces that offer potential futures. By examining the charitable trust as a technology of time, Vevaina traces its origins back to the nineteenth century and explores how it structures intergenerational obligations for the Parsis of Mumbai. Through this lens, she connects the past and present, the worldly and the sacred, offering a fresh perspective on property, religion, and kinship in the urban global South.

Vevaina's approach to exploring Mumbai through the legal mechanism of the trust and the individuals who inhabit its boundaries, as well as those who challenge or support it, provides a novel avenue for understanding these complex issues. Her book offers valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of property ownership, religious practices, and familial relationships in a rapidly changing urban landscape. By delving into the experiences of the Parsi community, "Trust Matters" contributes to our understanding of the diverse and complex tapestry of cities in the global South.

Weight: 476g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478020578