Slum Residents and Street Dogs: Power and Access in the Modern Metropolis

Wed, October 30, 2019 11:00 AM at 457 Berkey Hall

"Slum Residents and Street Dogs: Power and Access in the Modern Metropolis" is a dissertation defense presentation by M.C. Shingne, PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology.

Committee members:
Chair Jennifer Carrera, Linda Kalof, Steve Gold and Laura Reese (Urban Planning, GUSP)

Abstract:
Current worldwide urbanization trends are putting stress on existing resources and infrastructure, creating tension as urban residents negotiate for access to the city. To mitigate this stress, more holistic urban development is needed, development that prioritizes quality of life and access to resources for all urban residents. In order for this development to be truly holistic and sustainable, there is a need to recognize that humans and non-human animals have always shared urban space, despite a common western belief that cities are human places. The proposed project recognizes this need, using multi-species ethnography to conduct a social analysis of access to urban spaces as realized by slum residents and street dogs in Pune, India. Both slum residents and street dogs experience marginalization in India; their struggles to access urban resources highlight the existing shortcomings of urban development plans and can help in identifying more holistic, multi-species alternatives. This research will add to theoretical discussions surrounding space, power, and the modern city, deepen the applicability of multispecies research methodologies in sociological research, and explore practical approaches to urban development better suited to the social realities of all urban residents.