Cities are places of opportunities – they represent critical sources of economic, cultural and social capital, and offer avenues for social mobility and empowerment. These opportunities, however, are not equally accessible to all. In South Asia, the inclusiveness of cities remains contested in many ways – whether in terms of gender, class, caste or religious identity. Social norms, architecture, public spaces design, basic services distribution, and governance structures often reinforce inequalities rather than challenge them.
This conference will explore the particular forms, logics and drivers of inequalities in the urban context of India. Mobilizing insights and empirical material from different disciplines – gender studies, sociology, political science, anthropology, urban design, demography and geography – participants will show how the urban phenomenon influences inequalities and, in turn, how inequalities shape Indian cities.
