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Bombay Brokers
A political party worker who produces crowds for electoral rallies. A “prison specialist” who serves other people’s prison sentences in exchange for a large fee. An engineer who is able to secure otherwise impossible building permits. These and other dealmakers—whose behind-the-scenes expertise and labor are often invisible—have an intrinsic role in the city's functioning and can be indispensable for navigating everyday life in Bombay, one of the world’s most complex, dynamic, and populous cities. Bombay Brokers collects profiles of thirty-six such “brokers.” Written by anthropologists, artists, city planners, and activists, these character sketches bring into relief the paradox that these brokers’ knowledge and labor are simultaneously invisible yet essential for Bombay’s functioning. Their centrality reveals the global-scale paradoxes and gaps that these brokers mediate and bridge. In this way, Bombay Brokers prompts a reconsideration of what counts as legitimate and valuable knowledge and labor while offering insight into changing structures of power in Bombay and around the globe.
Author/Editor
Lisa Björkman
Publisher
Duke University Press
ISBN
Paper ISBN: 978-1-4780-1149-1 / Cloth ISBN: 978-1-4780-1053-1
Publication date
1 Jan 2021 – 31 Dec 2021
Specialisation
Social Sciences
Theme
Urban / Rural
Society
Religion
National politics
Media
Linguistics
Art and Culture
History
Globalisation
Gender and Identity
Economy
Diasporas and Migration
Region
India