Neoliberal Spatialities in Gurgaon: Privatization, Negotation and Reciprocity in India

The emerging neoliberal urbanism in the peri-urban region of Indian cities, the discourse has provoked critical comments that focus either on aspects of capital accumulation with dispossession of the peasantry or on the capacity of villagers to resist. Departing from both these perspectives, this paper seeks to bring out a hybrid case of emerging neoliberal spatiality in Gurgaon (Gurugram) city, wherein native land-owning villagers have evolved to be rather accommodating to real estate developments under mutually beneficial and negotiable conditions. The paper uncovers the special network politics that exists between the private developers and land-owning villagers on the principles of reciprocity and negotiability in the co-production of neoliberal spatiality.status: publishe