Mumbai / Bombay : Majoritarian Neoliberalism, Informality, Resistance, and Wellbeing

Mumbai / Bombay is a quintessential urban expression which represents the questions and puzzles related to Indian urbanity. This book traces the various ways through which majoritarianism and neoliberal capitalist accumulation has reorganised Bombay or Mumbai in India. The book assesses Mumbai's present trajectories and processes as being embedded in its recent past. It looks at these changes by exploring work and labour; health and education; spatial planning and infrastructural development; politics and identity; and shows how financialisation, land speculation, deregulation, and informality have impacted the city's culture and everyday living. The contributors to this volume analyse the consequences of these changes for women and men across ages, as they live their material and cultural lives; evaluate the role of the changing nature of work, urban infrastructure, and planning; determine its outcome for public health and education; and take a measure of its manifestation in the field of arts and culture. The volume explores the processes that reorient these changes, the socio-spatial and political implications of these on the inhabitants of the city, and the resistance and response to marginalisation. This interdisciplinary volume will interest students and researchers of economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, public policy, development studies, and urban studies. It will also be useful to urban practitioners, planners, bureaucrats, activists, and general readers. This book traces the various ways through which majoritarianism and neoliberal capitalist accumulation has reorganised Bombay or Mumbai in India, by exploring work and labour; health and education; spatial planning and infrastructural development; politics and identity; financialisation; land speculation; and deregulation and informality. Cover 1 Endorsement Page 2 Half Title 4 Series Page 7 Title Page 8 Copyright Page 9 Dedication 10 Table of Contents 12 List of Illustrations 14 Abbreviations 15 Contributors 19 Preface and Acknowledgements 21 Introduction: Pathways towards Majoritarian Neoliberalism in Mumbai 24 Mumbai from 1960s to 1990s 29 Conclusion 39 Notes 40 References 44 Part I: Work and Labour: Deregulation and Restructuring 48 Chapter 1: Informality, missing markets, and political organisation: Case study of the Shiv Sena 50 Section 1 52 Increasing informalisation of the city's economy and the changing employment structure 52 Informalisation, missing markets, and political organisation 58 Informalisation and mobility 60 Section 2 64 Labour markets, jobs, and the founding of the Shiv Sena 64 Politics of space and informality 66 The Sena’s “Corporate” turn 68 Conclusion 69 Acknowledgements 70 References 70 Chapter 2: Gendered Peripheralisation of Work, Workers, and Workplace 72 Conceptual and Methodological Situating 74 Un-Paid Labour and Un-Development 76 Paid Work and De-Development 82 In Lieu of a Conclusion 86 References 88 Chapter 3: Living with Precariousness: Survival in Small Manufacturing Enterprises 90 Framing the Conceptual Argument 92 History of Intersectional Precariousness 93 Stigma and Tenuous Dependencies in Vishesh Nagar 96 Building Pehchaan: Strategies and Costs 99 Conclusion 102 Acknowledgements 103 Notes 103 References 104 Chapter 4: Neoliberalism and Majoritarian Politics: Hindutva and Restructuring the Meat Business 107 Urban Restructuring 109 Slaughtering as Informal Caste Labour 111 Beef Ban 113 Meat Export 115 Conclusion 117 References 118 Part II: Infrastructure and Politics: Negotiation and Resistance 120 Chapter 5: Infrastructure Projects and Sustainable Development 122 A Framework to Understand Infrastructure Projects in Mumbai: Historical Background 124 PPPs and Newer Modes of Infrastructure Creation 125 Case Studies of Recent Large Infrastructure Projects in Mumbai 128 The Mumbai Metro 128 Navi Mumbai International Airport and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust 130 Discussion and Conclusions 132 Acknowledgements 133 Notes 133 References 135 Chapter 6: Legislating the Urban in Vasai-Virar: Planning (in) the Periphery 139 The urban in/and the periphery 140 Vasai-Virar in transition 141 Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Planning (and Development) 142 Planning/schemes in Vasai-Virar 143 CIDCO Hatao (remove CIDCO) 145 Vasaikars' oppose the state ’ s planning policies 146 Two phases of the struggle: HVSS and JAS 147 Vasai-Virar: refuge of the poor 149 The making of a political constituency 151 Conclusion 152 Acknowledgements 153 Notes 153 References 156 Chapter 7: Socio-spatial embedding of platform mobilities: A Study on Taxi Driving 158 Aim and approach of the contribution 159 Urban embeddedness of the platform economy 160 Transformation of Mumbai’s taxi sector 162 Taxi modernisation and its impact on driving communities 162 Emergence of digital mobility platforms in Mumbai 163 Regulatory dis-embedding of mobility platforms and state response 163 From micro-entrepreneurship to fleet operations 164 Rejecting platform attachment 164 Social embedding of mobility platforms 165 Communities embracing the platforms 166 Hierarchies and dynamics in large fleet networks 167 Platform practices of surveillance and control 169 Conclusion 171 Notes 173 References 173 Chapter 8: The Difficult Quest for Solidarity and Citizenship: Civility, Politics, and Neoliberalism 177 Introduction: The problem of civility and solidarity 177 Powai and its neoliberal transformation 181 Neoliberalism and the grassroots: Problematising political response and resistance 186 Civility, Politics, and the Difficult Quest for Solidarity and Citizenship in Mumbai 189 Politics and Responses to Neoliberalism in Mumbai: Some Conclusions 191 Acknowledgements 193 Notes 193 References 194 Part III: Well-being and Reproduction of Life: Corporatisation and Privatisation 196 Chapter 9: Health and healthcare in the city: A Social History Perspective 198 Describing the context 199 Health and Healthcare in the City 200 Health status and access to healthcare 200 Public systems and their deterioration 202 Private healthcare network 205 By way of a discussion 207 Acknowledgements 210 Notes 210 References 211 Chapter 10: Right Place, Right Time: Ambulances, Injury, and Trauma in Motion 215 Traumatic Injury in Mumbai 216 Research Methods 218 Ambulances in Mumbai 220 City of Temporality 222 City of Logistics 224 City of Innovation 226 Conclusion 228 Notes 229 References 229 Chapter 11: The Good Muslim Student: Neoliberal Education and Islamic-English Schools 233 Introduction: The Promise of Deen and Duniya 233 No Getting out of the Mohalla 235 Minority Education, Majoritarian Agendas 237 Schooling the Muslim Middle Class 239 Reinforcing Identity through Faith and Piety 242 Conclusion: Anxieties of the Marginalised 244 Acknowledgements 246 Notes 246 References 249 Chapter 12: Neoliberalism and sustainability in the art ecosystem 251 The emergence of a commercially centred art scene 252 Mapping the Mumbai art ecosystem 255 Blocked veins 258 Art’s changing relationship to society 260 Conclusion 264 Notes 265 References 266 Glossary 268 Index 272 City;,Mumbai;,Bombay;,Majoritarianism;,neoliberalism;,informality;,urbanism;,urbanity;,cities,of,global,South;,regulation;,deregulation;,work,and,labour;,middle,classes;,aspirations;,physical,and,social,infrastructure;,wellbeing;,reproduction,of,life City,Mumbai,Bombay,Majoritarianism,neoliberalism,informality,urbanism,urbanity,cities of global South,regulation,deregulation,work and labour,middle classes,aspirations,physical and social infrastructure,wellbeing,reproduction of life