Centre for the Study of Social Systems
School of Social Sciences
CSSS Colloquium
Ghazala Jamil
(Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU)
Will be presenting a paper on
Production of Segregated Spaces and Materiality of Identity
Date & Time: February 15th, 2017 (Thursday), 3.00 pm
Venue: CSSS Committee Room (Room No: 13), SSS-II
Abstract: At a time when world over people are wishing for ‘avoid ghettos’ route options on their Google maps, Muslim ‘ghettos’ in Indian cities are also attracting visitors/tourists consuming their culinary culture, and/or historical-architectural heritage. The images of these spaces as dark, degenerate, and even dangerous places exist comfortably along with the stereotypes of Islamicate culture. The state (by setting up support for ‘conservation of heritage’), the civil society (by propagating ‘walks’ and ‘talks’ staged around the area) and the media (by popularising the most ‘delectable’ and ‘exotic’ experiences) are all participating enthusiastically in cultural marketisation of the areas. In the globalised local spaces this process must also be seen as these locations competing with each other for economic growth. This paper charts out the changes taking place in Muslim neighbourhoods in Delhi, in the backdrop of rapid urbanisation and forces of capitalist globalization.
Bio: Ghazala Jamil teaches at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has earlier taught at the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi and at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi. Her core research interests are urbanisation, social movements, materiality and spatiality of culture, and minority rights. Her book Accumulation by Segregation: Muslim Localities in Delhi (OUP, 2017) is an account of spatial segregation of Muslims in Delhi and theorises upon the discursive and material bases of urban segregation. Jamil also is interested in poetry of protest and has translated works from Hindi/Urdu, Punjabi to English. She has co-translated a book on popular history of Delhi by Intizar Hussain from Urdu to English, published as Once There Was a City Named Dilli (Yoda Press,2017).