The Fifth Strategic Plan (2020-2024) outlines the rationale, vision, mission and values of APN as... more The Fifth Strategic Plan (2020-2024) outlines the rationale, vision, mission and values of APN as well as specific goals and supporting mechanisms over the four-year period between 2020 and 2024.
This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign called Clean En... more This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign called Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE), which has successfully promoted the use of solar and wind power on the far south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In this article we deploy three different approaches to understanding the role of scale; namely locational, relational and strategic rescaling. For the past decade, multi-scalar interventions by CEFE have provided a platform for community energy generation projects, facilitated by the development of social infrastructure that engendered new ideas, interactions and potentials, engagement and participation. These interventions have transformed the region's multiple, multi-scalar geographies of community engagement, energy use and climate change. Analysing CEFE assists in thinking about the relational aspects of energy demand, supply and use, as well as the spatiality of political mobilisation. As a grassroots movement that subsequently tried to scale up and out its activities, CEFE also alerts us to the relational nature of both barriers and opportunities for any transition towards a low carbon economy. Perhaps most significantly, the example of CEFE demonstrates how existing notions of the geographies of energy in Australia can be challenged and transformed.
In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically d... more In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically diverse dialogue between ‘local food’ and ‘alternative food networks’ (AFNs) and outline how this dialogue might be enriched by a closer engagement with discourses of food sovereignty and the politics of scale. In arguing for a shift towards a greater emphasis on food sovereignty, we contend that contemporary discourses of food security are inadequate for the ongoing task of ensuring a just and sustainable economy of food. Further, rather than treating the local and the global as ontologically given categories around which to contest the politics of food, it is our contention that recognising the socio-spatial aspects of the politics of scale has the potential to reinvigorate discourses of food security, food sovereignty and AFNs. Understanding scale as both fixed to a degree as well as contingent and dynamic has implications for an understanding of the role of food systems, for how the rescaled state privileges certain food systems and the possibilities for resistance through ‘jumping scale’ and food utopias. All of these aspects are significant if we are to fully comprehend and contest the challenges of envisioning and enacting real utopias of food sovereignty.
Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content")... more Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
abstract While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twe... more abstract While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twentieth century, the first wave of multiplexes in India were built in anticipation of future wealth. In recent years, multiplex developments have been targeting various areas identified for growth in the urban redevelopment plans now being adopted across India, anticipating a larger “consuming class” spreading beyond existing pockets of affluence and occupying suburban and satellite townships in what were until recently brown and greenfield sites. Exclusive leisure facilities such as the multiplex illustrate the growing socio-spatial segregation in Indian cities, and suggest the ways the consuming classes are transforming urban space in their own image. As such, while the significance of the multiplex to cultural perspectives in the “New India” is widely noted, they also illustrate much broader issues of the political economy of India that are almost never discussed in the same breath as cinema, including taxation and investment, environmental management and the politics of land zoning and land acquisition.
During the decade of its existence in India, the multiplex cinema has been very much a sign of th... more During the decade of its existence in India, the multiplex cinema has been very much a sign of the times both a symptom and a symbol of new social values. Indicative of a consistent push to create a 'globalised' consuming middle class and a new urban environment, multiplex ...
A B S T R A C T This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign... more A B S T R A C T This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign called Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE), which has successfully promoted the use of solar and wind power on the far south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In this article we deploy three different approaches to understanding the role of scale; namely locational, relational and strategic rescaling. For the past decade, multi-scalar interventions by CEFE have provided a platform for community energy generation projects, facilitated by the development of social infrastructure that engendered new ideas, interactions and potentials, engagement and participation. These interventions have transformed the region's multiple, multi-scalar geographies of community engagement, energy use and climate change. Analysing CEFE assists in thinking about the relational aspects of energy demand , supply and use, as well as the spatiality of political mobilisation. As a grassroots movement that subsequently tried to scale up and out its activities, CEFE also alerts us to the relational nature of both barriers and opportunities for any transition towards a low carbon economy. Perhaps most significantly, the example of CEFE demonstrates how existing notions of the geographies of energy in Australia can be challenged and transformed.
Orthodox approaches to managing Himalayan rivers endorse a singular focus on water as a resource ... more Orthodox approaches to managing Himalayan rivers endorse a singular focus on water as a resource to be harnessed for national security and economic progress, as epitomised by the proposed acceleration of large-scale hydropower construction in the Brahmaputra basin. In reality, existing large-scale hydropower development in the region frequently involves corruption, environmental destruction and forced displacement. This paper argues for an alternative approach to understanding the role of water in India’s extractive zones within and beyond the boundaries of the nation, utilising the notions of ‘embeddedness’, ‘hydro- informality’ and ‘rescaling politics’. It is argued that reframing the river in this way can open up space for more just and sustainable practices.
The vulnerability of communities in the Himalayas to water stress caused by climate change depend... more The vulnerability of communities in the Himalayas to water stress caused by climate change depends on changes in the availability of water as well as how it is used. There has been little work done to reconcile these drivers of water stress in the Himalayas. This paper evaluates how climate change may affect water availability in two Nepalese mountain communities, Panglin and Tallo Lorpa, and assesses whether these changes drive vulnerability to water stress. First, estimates of hydrological change are made based on climate model output and hydroclimatological theory. Household surveys, focus group discussions and participatory rural appraisal techniques are used to assess vulnerability and adaptive capacity in each community. Finally, the expected effects of climate change on water availability are linked to findings on the communities' vulnerability to these changes. The results show that both communities are vulnerable to changes in water availability under climate change, but this vulnerability is small in comparison to adaptation opportunities. However, the ability to appropriate benefits from these opportunities is constrained, and it is the extent of this inhibition that determines vulnerability. These findings demonstrate that Malthusian interpretations may be inappropriate in the Himalayas, and highlight the importance of the constraints to climate change adaptation.
In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically d... more In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically diverse dialogue between 'local food' and 'alternative food net-works' (AFNs) and outline how this dialogue might be enriched by a closer engagement with discourses of food sovereignty and the politics of scale. In arguing for a shift towards a greater emphasis on food sovereignty, we contend that contemporary discourses of food security are inadequate for the ongoing task of ensuring a just and sustainable economy of food. Further, rather than treating the local and the global as ontologically given categories around which to contest the politics of food, it is our contention that recognising the socio-spatial aspects of the politics of scale has the potential to reinvigorate discourses of food security, food sovereignty and AFNs. Understanding scale as both fixed to a degree as well as contingent and dynamic has implications for an understanding of the role of food systems, for how the rescaled state privileges certain food systems and the possibilities for resistance through 'jumping scale' and food utopias. All of these aspects are significant if we are to fully comprehend and contest the challenges of envisioning and enacting real utopias of food sovereignty.
Abstract: Hydropower development clearly has a significant role to play in the closer integration... more Abstract: Hydropower development clearly has a significant role to play in the closer integration of different parts of the Himalayas and in facilitating downstream benefits throughout South Asia. However, the neo-liberal approach to infrastructureled growth frequently overlooks the significant social, economic and political issues associated with this model of development in the region. Furthermore, the ongoing securitisation of water constrains the terms of debate under the guise of a unified national interest and enables large-scale dams to be constructed without due process.To desecuritise water in the Himalayas is to open up this dialogue and in so doing create the conditions for just and sustainable development.
Abstract This chapter aims to reflect back upon the contributions of the
volume, and suggests wha... more Abstract This chapter aims to reflect back upon the contributions of the volume, and suggests what they may elucidate about the complex, dynamic and multifaceted set of processes by which power is contested in contemporary India. A multi-scalar analytical framework is utilised to discuss processes of uneven development and changing state–society relations, which together will continue to condition the trajectory of India’s polity and society. It examines how researchers can critically engage with orthodox approaches to the study of India in ways that challenge the epistemic and ontological closures of the current neoliberal conjuncture. In doing so, the chapter places the contributions of this volume into a broader examination of how different disciplines have approached the study of India. The chapter then looks forward and asserts that the politics of space, scale and aspiration will be enduring concerns in understanding how India is transforming. The last part of the chapter is focused on what the election ofNarendra Modi’s NDA government may portend for the possible futures of India. It argues that we may see the ascension of Modi as evidence of the rise of a strain of neoliberal, semi-authoritarian populism.
Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Jun 8, 2013
Carbon forestry represents a degree of continuity and discontinuity with traditional conservation... more Carbon forestry represents a degree of continuity and discontinuity with traditional conservation practices, rescripting forestry management/governance and land access through projects on the ground in variegated, context-dependent ways. Utilising the comparative lens of two distinct projects operating on state-led protected areas in the east of Uganda, and focusing on their contested boundaries, this paper reflects on these dynamics and tries to make sense of the implications for the rural communities within the project vicinities. The projects and their framings reassert the claims to territory of the state in different ways which are contingent upon and emergent from the local institutional and historical context, or ‘legacies of the land’, which can be seen in context to be disputed and contested. Whilst it must be said that there can be selectively progressive elements within carbon forestry initiatives, it can be observed that techno-centric interventions, which depoliticise their local contexts and selectively transnationalise access to land and forestry resources, can further marginalise local communities in the process.
The already divisive politics of South Asia's trans-boundary water resources are further complica... more The already divisive politics of South Asia's trans-boundary water resources are further complicated by the rush to construct large-and medium-scale dams. While highly contested in India today, hydropower construction reflects a nexus of state and capital that discriminates against the poorest and most marginalised citizens. Alternatives to the multiple crises of water within and beyond India must look beyond state-centrism and, instead, promote multi-scalar civil society organisations and networks, which may contribute to a more sustainable and transparent South Asia in the future.
While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twentieth ce... more While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twentieth century, the first wave of multiplexes in India were built in anticipation of future wealth. In recent years, multiplex developments have been targeting various areas identified for growth in the urban redevelopment plans now being adopted across India, anticipating a larger "consuming class" spreading beyond existing pockets of affluence and occupying suburban and satellite townships in what were until recently brown and greenfield sites. Exclusive leisure facilities such as the multiplex illustrate the growing socio-spatial segregation in Indian cities, and suggest the ways the consuming classes are transforming urban space in their own image. As such, while the significance of the multiplex to cultural perspectives in the "New India" is widely noted, they also illustrate much broader issues of the political economy of India that are almost never discussed in the same breath as cinema, including taxation and investment, environmental management and the politics of land zoning and land acquisition.
Ther e is no question that significant challenges lie ahead in how India and Pakistan share the w... more Ther e is no question that significant challenges lie ahead in how India and Pakistan share the waters of the Indus Basin. On both sides of the border, declining water availability and decreasing food-grain per capita, urbanisation and a changing climate all add biophysical stressors to what is already a complex and strained geopolitical environment. Indeed, given the history of conflict between the two countries, not least over the disputed Kashmir region where many of the rivers of the Indus Basin originate, it is understandable why it is frequently asserted that water may be a trigger to a future war. While dams can provide a range of benefits, including storage, flood protection, irrigation and electricity, recent plans by both countries to build large-scale dams in those parts of the basin within their respective territories reinforce the sense of a heightened security environment; each new announcement of a planned construction has generated international protest by the respective governments and fanned domestic outrage. A long-standing trust deficit between the two countries makes constructive dialogue on these issues problematic and the sharing of information over future scenarios difficult.
The corporatisation of Port Klang from the mid-1980s onwards was a significant moment in the hist... more The corporatisation of Port Klang from the mid-1980s onwards was a significant moment in the history of Malaysia's political economy and generated considerable momentum for the changes that were to occur in this late industrialising nation under the leadership of the Barisan Nasional government. In particular, the restructuring of how labour was organised in Malaysia's most significant port became frequently cited both within and outside the country as a model for tripartite labour privatisation and the well-managed divestment of state-owned enterprises. However, in the past decade, the organisation of labour in the port has again changed dramatically. Migrant labour from some of the poorest parts of Asia now makes up the majority of semi-skilled and unskilled workers. Based on fieldwork carried out during 2009 with workers from Bangladesh and Nepal who are employed in Port Klang, this paper suggested that a regulatory vacuum now exists in the port, which means foreign workers are often treated badly and have few avenues for dissent. An analysis of the changing labour regime in Port Klang over time can assist in understanding the contemporary political economy of Malaysia as well as illuminate debates about the spaces of migrant labour more broadly.
The Fifth Strategic Plan (2020-2024) outlines the rationale, vision, mission and values of APN as... more The Fifth Strategic Plan (2020-2024) outlines the rationale, vision, mission and values of APN as well as specific goals and supporting mechanisms over the four-year period between 2020 and 2024.
This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign called Clean En... more This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign called Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE), which has successfully promoted the use of solar and wind power on the far south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In this article we deploy three different approaches to understanding the role of scale; namely locational, relational and strategic rescaling. For the past decade, multi-scalar interventions by CEFE have provided a platform for community energy generation projects, facilitated by the development of social infrastructure that engendered new ideas, interactions and potentials, engagement and participation. These interventions have transformed the region's multiple, multi-scalar geographies of community engagement, energy use and climate change. Analysing CEFE assists in thinking about the relational aspects of energy demand, supply and use, as well as the spatiality of political mobilisation. As a grassroots movement that subsequently tried to scale up and out its activities, CEFE also alerts us to the relational nature of both barriers and opportunities for any transition towards a low carbon economy. Perhaps most significantly, the example of CEFE demonstrates how existing notions of the geographies of energy in Australia can be challenged and transformed.
In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically d... more In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically diverse dialogue between ‘local food’ and ‘alternative food networks’ (AFNs) and outline how this dialogue might be enriched by a closer engagement with discourses of food sovereignty and the politics of scale. In arguing for a shift towards a greater emphasis on food sovereignty, we contend that contemporary discourses of food security are inadequate for the ongoing task of ensuring a just and sustainable economy of food. Further, rather than treating the local and the global as ontologically given categories around which to contest the politics of food, it is our contention that recognising the socio-spatial aspects of the politics of scale has the potential to reinvigorate discourses of food security, food sovereignty and AFNs. Understanding scale as both fixed to a degree as well as contingent and dynamic has implications for an understanding of the role of food systems, for how the rescaled state privileges certain food systems and the possibilities for resistance through ‘jumping scale’ and food utopias. All of these aspects are significant if we are to fully comprehend and contest the challenges of envisioning and enacting real utopias of food sovereignty.
Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content")... more Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
abstract While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twe... more abstract While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twentieth century, the first wave of multiplexes in India were built in anticipation of future wealth. In recent years, multiplex developments have been targeting various areas identified for growth in the urban redevelopment plans now being adopted across India, anticipating a larger “consuming class” spreading beyond existing pockets of affluence and occupying suburban and satellite townships in what were until recently brown and greenfield sites. Exclusive leisure facilities such as the multiplex illustrate the growing socio-spatial segregation in Indian cities, and suggest the ways the consuming classes are transforming urban space in their own image. As such, while the significance of the multiplex to cultural perspectives in the “New India” is widely noted, they also illustrate much broader issues of the political economy of India that are almost never discussed in the same breath as cinema, including taxation and investment, environmental management and the politics of land zoning and land acquisition.
During the decade of its existence in India, the multiplex cinema has been very much a sign of th... more During the decade of its existence in India, the multiplex cinema has been very much a sign of the times both a symptom and a symbol of new social values. Indicative of a consistent push to create a 'globalised' consuming middle class and a new urban environment, multiplex ...
A B S T R A C T This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign... more A B S T R A C T This paper analyses the spatial and scalar dynamics of a community-based campaign called Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE), which has successfully promoted the use of solar and wind power on the far south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In this article we deploy three different approaches to understanding the role of scale; namely locational, relational and strategic rescaling. For the past decade, multi-scalar interventions by CEFE have provided a platform for community energy generation projects, facilitated by the development of social infrastructure that engendered new ideas, interactions and potentials, engagement and participation. These interventions have transformed the region's multiple, multi-scalar geographies of community engagement, energy use and climate change. Analysing CEFE assists in thinking about the relational aspects of energy demand , supply and use, as well as the spatiality of political mobilisation. As a grassroots movement that subsequently tried to scale up and out its activities, CEFE also alerts us to the relational nature of both barriers and opportunities for any transition towards a low carbon economy. Perhaps most significantly, the example of CEFE demonstrates how existing notions of the geographies of energy in Australia can be challenged and transformed.
Orthodox approaches to managing Himalayan rivers endorse a singular focus on water as a resource ... more Orthodox approaches to managing Himalayan rivers endorse a singular focus on water as a resource to be harnessed for national security and economic progress, as epitomised by the proposed acceleration of large-scale hydropower construction in the Brahmaputra basin. In reality, existing large-scale hydropower development in the region frequently involves corruption, environmental destruction and forced displacement. This paper argues for an alternative approach to understanding the role of water in India’s extractive zones within and beyond the boundaries of the nation, utilising the notions of ‘embeddedness’, ‘hydro- informality’ and ‘rescaling politics’. It is argued that reframing the river in this way can open up space for more just and sustainable practices.
The vulnerability of communities in the Himalayas to water stress caused by climate change depend... more The vulnerability of communities in the Himalayas to water stress caused by climate change depends on changes in the availability of water as well as how it is used. There has been little work done to reconcile these drivers of water stress in the Himalayas. This paper evaluates how climate change may affect water availability in two Nepalese mountain communities, Panglin and Tallo Lorpa, and assesses whether these changes drive vulnerability to water stress. First, estimates of hydrological change are made based on climate model output and hydroclimatological theory. Household surveys, focus group discussions and participatory rural appraisal techniques are used to assess vulnerability and adaptive capacity in each community. Finally, the expected effects of climate change on water availability are linked to findings on the communities' vulnerability to these changes. The results show that both communities are vulnerable to changes in water availability under climate change, but this vulnerability is small in comparison to adaptation opportunities. However, the ability to appropriate benefits from these opportunities is constrained, and it is the extent of this inhibition that determines vulnerability. These findings demonstrate that Malthusian interpretations may be inappropriate in the Himalayas, and highlight the importance of the constraints to climate change adaptation.
In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically d... more In this paper, we critically interrogate the benefits of an interdisciplinary and theoretically diverse dialogue between 'local food' and 'alternative food net-works' (AFNs) and outline how this dialogue might be enriched by a closer engagement with discourses of food sovereignty and the politics of scale. In arguing for a shift towards a greater emphasis on food sovereignty, we contend that contemporary discourses of food security are inadequate for the ongoing task of ensuring a just and sustainable economy of food. Further, rather than treating the local and the global as ontologically given categories around which to contest the politics of food, it is our contention that recognising the socio-spatial aspects of the politics of scale has the potential to reinvigorate discourses of food security, food sovereignty and AFNs. Understanding scale as both fixed to a degree as well as contingent and dynamic has implications for an understanding of the role of food systems, for how the rescaled state privileges certain food systems and the possibilities for resistance through 'jumping scale' and food utopias. All of these aspects are significant if we are to fully comprehend and contest the challenges of envisioning and enacting real utopias of food sovereignty.
Abstract: Hydropower development clearly has a significant role to play in the closer integration... more Abstract: Hydropower development clearly has a significant role to play in the closer integration of different parts of the Himalayas and in facilitating downstream benefits throughout South Asia. However, the neo-liberal approach to infrastructureled growth frequently overlooks the significant social, economic and political issues associated with this model of development in the region. Furthermore, the ongoing securitisation of water constrains the terms of debate under the guise of a unified national interest and enables large-scale dams to be constructed without due process.To desecuritise water in the Himalayas is to open up this dialogue and in so doing create the conditions for just and sustainable development.
Abstract This chapter aims to reflect back upon the contributions of the
volume, and suggests wha... more Abstract This chapter aims to reflect back upon the contributions of the volume, and suggests what they may elucidate about the complex, dynamic and multifaceted set of processes by which power is contested in contemporary India. A multi-scalar analytical framework is utilised to discuss processes of uneven development and changing state–society relations, which together will continue to condition the trajectory of India’s polity and society. It examines how researchers can critically engage with orthodox approaches to the study of India in ways that challenge the epistemic and ontological closures of the current neoliberal conjuncture. In doing so, the chapter places the contributions of this volume into a broader examination of how different disciplines have approached the study of India. The chapter then looks forward and asserts that the politics of space, scale and aspiration will be enduring concerns in understanding how India is transforming. The last part of the chapter is focused on what the election ofNarendra Modi’s NDA government may portend for the possible futures of India. It argues that we may see the ascension of Modi as evidence of the rise of a strain of neoliberal, semi-authoritarian populism.
Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Jun 8, 2013
Carbon forestry represents a degree of continuity and discontinuity with traditional conservation... more Carbon forestry represents a degree of continuity and discontinuity with traditional conservation practices, rescripting forestry management/governance and land access through projects on the ground in variegated, context-dependent ways. Utilising the comparative lens of two distinct projects operating on state-led protected areas in the east of Uganda, and focusing on their contested boundaries, this paper reflects on these dynamics and tries to make sense of the implications for the rural communities within the project vicinities. The projects and their framings reassert the claims to territory of the state in different ways which are contingent upon and emergent from the local institutional and historical context, or ‘legacies of the land’, which can be seen in context to be disputed and contested. Whilst it must be said that there can be selectively progressive elements within carbon forestry initiatives, it can be observed that techno-centric interventions, which depoliticise their local contexts and selectively transnationalise access to land and forestry resources, can further marginalise local communities in the process.
The already divisive politics of South Asia's trans-boundary water resources are further complica... more The already divisive politics of South Asia's trans-boundary water resources are further complicated by the rush to construct large-and medium-scale dams. While highly contested in India today, hydropower construction reflects a nexus of state and capital that discriminates against the poorest and most marginalised citizens. Alternatives to the multiple crises of water within and beyond India must look beyond state-centrism and, instead, promote multi-scalar civil society organisations and networks, which may contribute to a more sustainable and transparent South Asia in the future.
While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twentieth ce... more While earlier cinemas were built in response to growing urban populations during the twentieth century, the first wave of multiplexes in India were built in anticipation of future wealth. In recent years, multiplex developments have been targeting various areas identified for growth in the urban redevelopment plans now being adopted across India, anticipating a larger "consuming class" spreading beyond existing pockets of affluence and occupying suburban and satellite townships in what were until recently brown and greenfield sites. Exclusive leisure facilities such as the multiplex illustrate the growing socio-spatial segregation in Indian cities, and suggest the ways the consuming classes are transforming urban space in their own image. As such, while the significance of the multiplex to cultural perspectives in the "New India" is widely noted, they also illustrate much broader issues of the political economy of India that are almost never discussed in the same breath as cinema, including taxation and investment, environmental management and the politics of land zoning and land acquisition.
Ther e is no question that significant challenges lie ahead in how India and Pakistan share the w... more Ther e is no question that significant challenges lie ahead in how India and Pakistan share the waters of the Indus Basin. On both sides of the border, declining water availability and decreasing food-grain per capita, urbanisation and a changing climate all add biophysical stressors to what is already a complex and strained geopolitical environment. Indeed, given the history of conflict between the two countries, not least over the disputed Kashmir region where many of the rivers of the Indus Basin originate, it is understandable why it is frequently asserted that water may be a trigger to a future war. While dams can provide a range of benefits, including storage, flood protection, irrigation and electricity, recent plans by both countries to build large-scale dams in those parts of the basin within their respective territories reinforce the sense of a heightened security environment; each new announcement of a planned construction has generated international protest by the respective governments and fanned domestic outrage. A long-standing trust deficit between the two countries makes constructive dialogue on these issues problematic and the sharing of information over future scenarios difficult.
The corporatisation of Port Klang from the mid-1980s onwards was a significant moment in the hist... more The corporatisation of Port Klang from the mid-1980s onwards was a significant moment in the history of Malaysia's political economy and generated considerable momentum for the changes that were to occur in this late industrialising nation under the leadership of the Barisan Nasional government. In particular, the restructuring of how labour was organised in Malaysia's most significant port became frequently cited both within and outside the country as a model for tripartite labour privatisation and the well-managed divestment of state-owned enterprises. However, in the past decade, the organisation of labour in the port has again changed dramatically. Migrant labour from some of the poorest parts of Asia now makes up the majority of semi-skilled and unskilled workers. Based on fieldwork carried out during 2009 with workers from Bangladesh and Nepal who are employed in Port Klang, this paper suggested that a regulatory vacuum now exists in the port, which means foreign workers are often treated badly and have few avenues for dissent. An analysis of the changing labour regime in Port Klang over time can assist in understanding the contemporary political economy of Malaysia as well as illuminate debates about the spaces of migrant labour more broadly.
During the decade of its existence in India, the multiplex cinema has been very much a sign o... more During the decade of its existence in India, the multiplex cinema has been very much a sign of the times – both a symptom and a symbol of new social values. Indicative of a consistent push to create a ‘globalised’ consuming middle class and a new urban environment, multiplex theatres have thus become key sites in the long-running struggle over cultural legitimacy and the right to public space in Indian cities.
This book provides the reader with a comprehensive account of the new leisure infrastructure arising at the intersection between contemporary trends in cultural practice and the spatial politics that are reshaping the cities of India. Exploring the significance, and convergence, of economic liberalisation, urban redevelopment and the media explosion in India, the book demonstrates an innovative approach towards the cultural and political economy of leisure in a complex and rapidly-changing society.
Key arguments are supported by up-to-date and substantive field research in several major metros and second tier cities across India. Accordingly, this book employs analytical frameworks from Media and Cultural Studies, and from Urban Geography and Development Studies in a wide-ranging examination of the multiplex phenomenon.
"This is a pioneering attempt to situate the multiplex not merely as a space of film exhibition, but a space that becomes the arbiter of cultural economy and aesthetic evaluations. Locating it within the larger debates on changing Indian cities, the authors establish how the closed dialectical relationship between the space and those who inhabit it becomes a key negotiation between self and the legitimate other... This extraordinary book must be read widely and acknowledged for its courage to argue against the aesthetic subversion of many publics, their cities, and their film-exhibition spaces by the multiplex." - Akshaya Kumar; Contemporary South Asia, Vol. 20, No. 3, September 2012
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volume, and suggests what they may elucidate about the complex, dynamic and multifaceted set of processes by which power is contested in contemporary India. A multi-scalar analytical framework is utilised to discuss processes of uneven development and changing state–society relations, which together will continue to condition the trajectory of India’s polity and society. It examines how researchers can critically engage with orthodox approaches to the study of India in ways that challenge the epistemic and ontological closures of the current
neoliberal conjuncture. In doing so, the chapter places the contributions of this volume into a broader examination of how different disciplines have approached the study of India. The chapter then looks forward and asserts that the politics of space, scale and aspiration will be enduring concerns in understanding how India is transforming. The last part of the chapter is focused on what the election ofNarendra Modi’s NDA government may portend for the possible futures of India. It argues that we may see the ascension of Modi as evidence of the rise of a strain of neoliberal, semi-authoritarian populism.
volume, and suggests what they may elucidate about the complex, dynamic and multifaceted set of processes by which power is contested in contemporary India. A multi-scalar analytical framework is utilised to discuss processes of uneven development and changing state–society relations, which together will continue to condition the trajectory of India’s polity and society. It examines how researchers can critically engage with orthodox approaches to the study of India in ways that challenge the epistemic and ontological closures of the current
neoliberal conjuncture. In doing so, the chapter places the contributions of this volume into a broader examination of how different disciplines have approached the study of India. The chapter then looks forward and asserts that the politics of space, scale and aspiration will be enduring concerns in understanding how India is transforming. The last part of the chapter is focused on what the election ofNarendra Modi’s NDA government may portend for the possible futures of India. It argues that we may see the ascension of Modi as evidence of the rise of a strain of neoliberal, semi-authoritarian populism.
This book provides the reader with a comprehensive account of the new leisure infrastructure arising at the intersection between contemporary trends in cultural practice and the spatial politics that are reshaping the cities of India. Exploring the significance, and convergence, of economic liberalisation, urban redevelopment and the media explosion in India, the book demonstrates an innovative approach towards the cultural and political economy of leisure in a complex and rapidly-changing society.
Key arguments are supported by up-to-date and substantive field research in several major metros and second tier cities across India. Accordingly, this book employs analytical frameworks from Media and Cultural Studies, and from Urban Geography and Development Studies in a wide-ranging examination of the multiplex phenomenon.
"This is a pioneering attempt to situate the multiplex not merely as a space of film exhibition, but a space that becomes the arbiter of cultural economy and aesthetic evaluations. Locating it within the larger debates on changing Indian cities, the authors establish how the closed dialectical relationship between the space and those who inhabit it becomes a key negotiation between self and the legitimate other... This extraordinary book must be read widely and acknowledged for its courage to argue against the aesthetic subversion of many publics, their cities, and their film-exhibition spaces by the multiplex." - Akshaya Kumar; Contemporary South Asia, Vol. 20, No. 3, September 2012