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Colossus: The Anatomy of Delhi
The National Capital Region of Delhi is a diverse and unequal space. Its more than 30 million people are sharply differentiated by economic class, religion and caste, education, language, and migration status. Its 45,000 square kilometres is a tapestry of spaces - ghettoes, slums, enclaves, institutional areas, planned and unplanned and authorized and unauthorized colonies, forests and agricultural fields. In some ways it is a dynamic society aspiring to global city grandeur; in other ways it is a bastion of tradition, sectarianism and hierarchy. Colossus details these realities and paradoxes under three themes: social change, community and state, and inequality. From the material condition of the metropolis - its housing, services, crime and pollution - to its social organization - of who marries whom, who eats with whom, and who votes for whom - this book unpacks the complex reality of a metropolitan region that is emblematic of India's aspirations and contradictions.
460 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2022
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December 7, 2021
Colossus raises and seeks to answer deep questions on the role of urbanization and modernization on a population. Lending from the fascinating case study that is the metropolis of Delhi, this work aims to tackle these questions from a variety of perspectives. The first half of the book entitled "State of the Metropolis" takes a more demographic / on-the-ground reality look at Delhi and the second half delves into complex issues of "Social and Political Change".
The analysis lends much of its insights from a survey of almost 5,500 households conducted across Delhi. I found that the empirical rigor that many of the contributors brought added to the veracity of the claims that were being made. However, often I found that the lack of time-series data led to unsubstantiated claims of causality.
A key theme in the text is the role of social vs spatial inequality and the role that urbanity may have had in changing entrenched social norms. If this is a question you are interested in, then I would highly recommend this text. Delhi is undoubtedly a unique city that sits within a unique social context, however, the empirical findings combined with the theoretical underpinning of the chapters will lead to often counterintuitive conclusions on these questions.
One bone I have to pick is that there is significant variation in the quality of writing and analysis throughout the book. Some chapters were hard to read either because the language was overly technical or the chapters were just poorly written. Some chapters could be taken straight from academic journals whereas others are written for a more casually interested audience. I would have appreciated greater editing and alignment on the writing style and target audience across the chapters.
This is a must-read book if you are interested in learning more about the remarkable city (and region) that is Delhi.
The analysis lends much of its insights from a survey of almost 5,500 households conducted across Delhi. I found that the empirical rigor that many of the contributors brought added to the veracity of the claims that were being made. However, often I found that the lack of time-series data led to unsubstantiated claims of causality.
A key theme in the text is the role of social vs spatial inequality and the role that urbanity may have had in changing entrenched social norms. If this is a question you are interested in, then I would highly recommend this text. Delhi is undoubtedly a unique city that sits within a unique social context, however, the empirical findings combined with the theoretical underpinning of the chapters will lead to often counterintuitive conclusions on these questions.
One bone I have to pick is that there is significant variation in the quality of writing and analysis throughout the book. Some chapters were hard to read either because the language was overly technical or the chapters were just poorly written. Some chapters could be taken straight from academic journals whereas others are written for a more casually interested audience. I would have appreciated greater editing and alignment on the writing style and target audience across the chapters.
This is a must-read book if you are interested in learning more about the remarkable city (and region) that is Delhi.
Displaying 1 of 1 review