?️ Mukta NAIK
? organized by the Centre des sciences humaines in Delhi (CSH)
? Tuesday 28, June, 2022 - 12h15 to 15h (Paris time UTC+2)
?online
About the talk: While metropolitan cities are framed as emancipatory spaces for women migrants, we know less about their experiences in smaller cities, which are driving urban transformation in India. Drawing on pre-pandemic fieldwork with employed youth (aged 15–29 years) in Mangalore and Kishangarh, this talk investigates young women’s work, education, aspirations and mobilities in smaller cities which have relatively weak scalar positions in terms of global economic, political and social power. The research indicates that small cities act as regional action spaces for women from villages and small towns to capitalise on fleeting opportunities and push against patriarchal boundaries through mobilities. It shows how women use a range of strategies from individual power tactics within households to leveraging institutional support systems to do so. The findings suggest that situating migrant-friendly policy initiatives in small cities could potentially improve employment and mobility outcomes for young women.
