Ayona Datta, "The Illegal City: Space, Law and Gender in a Delhi Squatter Settlement" (Ashgate, 2012)

Summary

The Illegal City: Space, Law and Gender in a Delhi Squatter Settlement (Ashgate, 2012) by Ayona Datta is a detailed account of how the law interweaves in everyday life in a squatter settlement in Delhi. The book forefronts space and gender as it explores the what it means to be illegal, not just informal, and how this distinction plays out in both public and private spaces. Rich in theory and ethnography the book is a beautiful exploration of how macro process invade the most intimate of spaces.

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