India's attempt to boost exports and create jobs by establishing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) represents an intensification of its market-based development paradigm. More than a decade after importing the SEZ concept from China, India contains hundreds of these walled-off, deregulated, low-tax enclaves. But in democratic India, protest movements arose against many proposed SEZs. Through detailed case studies of SEZ development in 11 states, this book examines regional variations in both popular mobilisation and state response.
International audience ; In India, where a tenth of the world's urban dwellers lives, the urbanisation is not limited to the expansion of very large metropolises such as Mumbai, Delhi, or Bengaluru. Cities with less than 100,000 inhabitants account for 40% of the urban population. Often forgotten, invisible, and neglected by urban policies, these small urban settlements, whose number is constantly growing as localities diversify, are a major characteristic of the territorial transition taking place in India. We put forward the notion of subaltern urbanisation to designate the in-situ character of the urban shifts in a context of structurally weak residential migration towards large cities. Based on a synthesis of about 20 small towns' ethnographies, we argue for different urban configurations that can be synthesized into 4 types: influenced cities, micropolis, market towns, and ordinary localities. Exchanges between these localities, their linkages with their hinterland, and their insertion in globalised value chains contribute to the formation of new extended urban territories. These urban halos structure a horizontal urbanisation which must be seen as an opportunity in the context of general uncertainty and saturation of metropolises. ; En Inde où vit un dixième des citadins de notre planète, l'urbanisation n'est pas limitée à l'expansion de très grandes métropoles comme Mumbai, Delhi ou Bengaluru. Les villes de moins de 100 000 habitants regroupent quarante pour cent des urbains. Souvent oubliées, invisibles et négligées par les politiques urbaines, ces petites villes dont le nombre n'a de cesse de croître au fur et à mesure que les localités se diversifient constituent une caractéristique majeure de la transition territoriale qui s'opère en Inde. Nous proposons la notion d'urbanisation subalterne pour désigner ce caractère in situ des mutations urbaines dans un contexte de faiblesse structurelle des migrations résidentielles vers les grandes villes. Fondée sur une synthèse d'une vingtaine d'études de ces petites localités, nous mettons en évidence différentes configurations urbaines que l'on peut synthétiser en 4 types : les villes sous influences, les micropolis, les bourgs marchands et les localités ordinaires. Les échanges entre ces localités comme les liens avec leur arrière-pays ainsi que leur insertion dans des chaînes de valeur globalisées composent de nouveaux territoires urbains étendus. Ces halos urbains structurent une urbanisation horizontale qui doit être envisagée comme une opportunité dans le contexte grandissant d'incertitude générale et de saturation des métropoles.
International audience ; In India, where a tenth of the world's urban dwellers lives, the urbanisation is not limited to the expansion of very large metropolises such as Mumbai, Delhi, or Bengaluru. Cities with less than 100,000 inhabitants account for 40% of the urban population. Often forgotten, invisible, and neglected by urban policies, these small urban settlements, whose number is constantly growing as localities diversify, are a major characteristic of the territorial transition taking place in India. We put forward the notion of subaltern urbanisation to designate the in-situ character of the urban shifts in a context of structurally weak residential migration towards large cities. Based on a synthesis of about 20 small towns' ethnographies, we argue for different urban configurations that can be synthesized into 4 types: influenced cities, micropolis, market towns, and ordinary localities. Exchanges between these localities, their linkages with their hinterland, and their insertion in globalised value chains contribute to the formation of new extended urban territories. These urban halos structure a horizontal urbanisation which must be seen as an opportunity in the context of general uncertainty and saturation of metropolises. ; En Inde où vit un dixième des citadins de notre planète, l'urbanisation n'est pas limitée à l'expansion de très grandes métropoles comme Mumbai, Delhi ou Bengaluru. Les villes de moins de 100 000 habitants regroupent quarante pour cent des urbains. Souvent oubliées, invisibles et négligées par les politiques urbaines, ces petites villes dont le nombre n'a de cesse de croître au fur et à mesure que les localités se diversifient constituent une caractéristique majeure de la transition territoriale qui s'opère en Inde. Nous proposons la notion d'urbanisation subalterne pour désigner ce caractère in situ des mutations urbaines dans un contexte de faiblesse structurelle des migrations résidentielles vers les grandes villes. Fondée sur une synthèse d'une vingtaine d'études de ces petites localités, nous mettons en évidence différentes configurations urbaines que l'on peut synthétiser en 4 types : les villes sous influences, les micropolis, les bourgs marchands et les localités ordinaires. Les échanges entre ces localités comme les liens avec leur arrière-pays ainsi que leur insertion dans des chaînes de valeur globalisées composent de nouveaux territoires urbains étendus. Ces halos urbains structurent une urbanisation horizontale qui doit être envisagée comme une opportunité dans le contexte grandissant d'incertitude générale et de saturation des métropoles.
International audience ; In India, where a tenth of the world's urban dwellers lives, the urbanisation is not limited to the expansion of very large metropolises such as Mumbai, Delhi, or Bengaluru. Cities with less than 100,000 inhabitants account for 40% of the urban population. Often forgotten, invisible, and neglected by urban policies, these small urban settlements, whose number is constantly growing as localities diversify, are a major characteristic of the territorial transition taking place in India. We put forward the notion of subaltern urbanisation to designate the in-situ character of the urban shifts in a context of structurally weak residential migration towards large cities. Based on a synthesis of about 20 small towns' ethnographies, we argue for different urban configurations that can be synthesized into 4 types: influenced cities, micropolis, market towns, and ordinary localities. Exchanges between these localities, their linkages with their hinterland, and their insertion in globalised value chains contribute to the formation of new extended urban territories. These urban halos structure a horizontal urbanisation which must be seen as an opportunity in the context of general uncertainty and saturation of metropolises. ; En Inde où vit un dixième des citadins de notre planète, l'urbanisation n'est pas limitée à l'expansion de très grandes métropoles comme Mumbai, Delhi ou Bengaluru. Les villes de moins de 100 000 habitants regroupent quarante pour cent des urbains. Souvent oubliées, invisibles et négligées par les politiques urbaines, ces petites villes dont le nombre n'a de cesse de croître au fur et à mesure que les localités se diversifient constituent une caractéristique majeure de la transition territoriale qui s'opère en Inde. Nous proposons la notion d'urbanisation subalterne pour désigner ce caractère in situ des mutations urbaines dans un contexte de faiblesse structurelle des migrations résidentielles vers les grandes villes. Fondée sur une synthèse d'une vingtaine d'études de ces ...
International audience ; In India, where a tenth of the world's urban dwellers lives, the urbanisation is not limited to the expansion of very large metropolises such as Mumbai, Delhi, or Bengaluru. Cities with less than 100,000 inhabitants account for 40% of the urban population. Often forgotten, invisible, and neglected by urban policies, these small urban settlements, whose number is constantly growing as localities diversify, are a major characteristic of the territorial transition taking place in India. We put forward the notion of subaltern urbanisation to designate the in-situ character of the urban shifts in a context of structurally weak residential migration towards large cities. Based on a synthesis of about 20 small towns' ethnographies, we argue for different urban configurations that can be synthesized into 4 types: influenced cities, micropolis, market towns, and ordinary localities. Exchanges between these localities, their linkages with their hinterland, and their insertion in globalised value chains contribute to the formation of new extended urban territories. These urban halos structure a horizontal urbanisation which must be seen as an opportunity in the context of general uncertainty and saturation of metropolises. ; En Inde où vit un dixième des citadins de notre planète, l'urbanisation n'est pas limitée à l'expansion de très grandes métropoles comme Mumbai, Delhi ou Bengaluru. Les villes de moins de 100 000 habitants regroupent quarante pour cent des urbains. Souvent oubliées, invisibles et négligées par les politiques urbaines, ces petites villes dont le nombre n'a de cesse de croître au fur et à mesure que les localités se diversifient constituent une caractéristique majeure de la transition territoriale qui s'opère en Inde. Nous proposons la notion d'urbanisation subalterne pour désigner ce caractère in situ des mutations urbaines dans un contexte de faiblesse structurelle des migrations résidentielles vers les grandes villes. Fondée sur une synthèse d'une vingtaine d'études de ces petites localités, nous mettons en évidence différentes configurations urbaines que l'on peut synthétiser en 4 types : les villes sous influences, les micropolis, les bourgs marchands et les localités ordinaires. Les échanges entre ces localités comme les liens avec leur arrière-pays ainsi que leur insertion dans des chaînes de valeur globalisées composent de nouveaux territoires urbains étendus. Ces halos urbains structurent une urbanisation horizontale qui doit être envisagée comme une opportunité dans le contexte grandissant d'incertitude générale et de saturation des métropoles.
AbstractThe concept of subaltern urbanization is about vibrant smaller settlements—outside the metropolitan shadow—sustainably supporting a dispersed pattern of urbanization. We propose a theoretical framework which draws on an empirical research collective using both large statistical and land‐use data sets and detailed case studies in non‐metropolitan Indian geographies. Anchored in postcolonial urban studies, it looks beyond the logic of agglomeration and questions our understanding of settlement hierarchies and the location of social and economic innovation processes, opening up an alternative reading of urbanization that could be valuable for other regions. Local agency is core to this concept, transporting the arguments of the ordinary and the subaltern beyond large cities. Our findings, apart from emphasizing the agency of smaller settlements, highlight their multiple local and translocal flows, shaping an autonomous external engagement that could exist independently of relationships with large cities. Further, even though the rural and the urban seep into each other, they do so organically, unlike the process in planetary urbanization. Additionally, the rural‐urban dichotomy remains performative, in that governance regimes influence the urbanization process. Appreciation of these dynamics can provide insights towards a better understanding of the system of human settlements, which is our goal in advancing this framework.
International audience ; To recall, subaltern urbanisation refers to the autonomous growth of settlement agglomerations—large clusters of people living in close proximity (which may or may not be classified as urban by the Census of India or the relevant state government)—that are generated by market and historical forces, and which are not dependent on large, traditionally important settlements or planned cities like Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar, or industrial townships like Mithapur or Bokaro. The attempt is to investigate the growth of settlements beyond that driven by the economics of large agglomerations as advanced by new economic geography, or directly orchestrated by the state or private corporate enterprise. The object is to focus on the autonomy of the settlement, not in the sense of autarchy, but in the ability to affect its growth process and interact autonomously with other settlements, whether local or global. In essence, therefore, subaltern urbanisation is about vibrant smaller settlements—spaces outside the metropolitan shadow—sustainably supporting a dispersed pattern of urbanisation. Concomitantly, subaltern urbanisation refers to an unseen, and often unspoken, process of myriad form, effected by local actors, far from the major metropolitan areas and outside urban schemes.
International audience ; To recall, subaltern urbanisation refers to the autonomous growth of settlement agglomerations—large clusters of people living in close proximity (which may or may not be classified as urban by the Census of India or the relevant state government)—that are generated by market and historical forces, and which are not dependent on large, traditionally important settlements or planned cities like Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar, or industrial townships like Mithapur or Bokaro. The attempt is to investigate the growth of settlements beyond that driven by the economics of large agglomerations as advanced by new economic geography, or directly orchestrated by the state or private corporate enterprise. The object is to focus on the autonomy of the settlement, not in the sense of autarchy, but in the ability to affect its growth process and interact autonomously with other settlements, whether local or global. In essence, therefore, subaltern urbanisation is about vibrant smaller settlements—spaces outside the metropolitan shadow—sustainably supporting a dispersed pattern of urbanisation. Concomitantly, subaltern urbanisation refers to an unseen, and often unspoken, process of myriad form, effected by local actors, far from the major metropolitan areas and outside urban schemes.
International audience ; To recall, subaltern urbanisation refers to the autonomous growth of settlement agglomerations—large clusters of people living in close proximity (which may or may not be classified as urban by the Census of India or the relevant state government)—that are generated by market and historical forces, and which are not dependent on large, traditionally important settlements or planned cities like Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar, or industrial townships like Mithapur or Bokaro. The attempt is to investigate the growth of settlements beyond that driven by the economics of large agglomerations as advanced by new economic geography, or directly orchestrated by the state or private corporate enterprise. The object is to focus on the autonomy of the settlement, not in the sense of autarchy, but in the ability to affect its growth process and interact autonomously with other settlements, whether local or global. In essence, therefore, subaltern urbanisation is about vibrant smaller settlements—spaces outside the metropolitan shadow—sustainably supporting a dispersed pattern of urbanisation. Concomitantly, subaltern urbanisation refers to an unseen, and often unspoken, process of myriad form, effected by local actors, far from the major metropolitan areas and outside urban schemes.
International audience ; The concept of subaltern urbanisation refers to the growth of settlement agglomerations, whether denoted urban by the Census of India or not, that are independent of the metropolis and autonomous in their interactions with other settlements, local and global. Analysing conventional and new data sources "against the grain", this paper claims support for the existence of such economically vital small settlements, contrary to perceptions that India's urbanisation is slow, that its smaller settlements are stagnant and its cities are not productive. It offers a classification scheme for settlements using the axes of spatial proximity to metropolises and degree of administrative recognition, and looks at the potential factors for their transformation long economic, social and political dimensions. Instead of basing policy on illusions of control, understanding how agents make this world helps comprehend ongoing Indian transformations.
International audience ; The concept of subaltern urbanisation refers to the growth of settlement agglomerations, whether denoted urban by the Census of India or not, that are independent of the metropolis and autonomous in their interactions with other settlements, local and global. Analysing conventional and new data sources "against the grain", this paper claims support for the existence of such economically vital small settlements, contrary to perceptions that India's urbanisation is slow, that its smaller settlements are stagnant and its cities are not productive. It offers a classification scheme for settlements using the axes of spatial proximity to metropolises and degree of administrative recognition, and looks at the potential factors for their transformation long economic, social and political dimensions. Instead of basing policy on illusions of control, understanding how agents make this world helps comprehend ongoing Indian transformations.
International audience ; The concept of subaltern urbanisation refers to the growth of settlement agglomerations, whether denoted urban by the Census of India or not, that are independent of the metropolis and autonomous in their interactions with other settlements, local and global. Analysing conventional and new data sources "against the grain", this paper claims support for the existence of such economically vital small settlements, contrary to perceptions that India's urbanisation is slow, that its smaller settlements are stagnant and its cities are not productive. It offers a classification scheme for settlements using the axes of spatial proximity to metropolises and degree of administrative recognition, and looks at the potential factors for their transformation long economic, social and political dimensions. Instead of basing policy on illusions of control, understanding how agents make this world helps comprehend ongoing Indian transformations.
