Making of the marginal: gender in a new education city

Abstract

ABSTRACT Global urban studies are undergoing a paradigm shift recognizing the link between urban and rural studies. In this sense, ‘agrarian urbanism’ has become the research focus, especially in the Global South. This paper analyses the changing social relations in Sonipat (Haryana, India) after it was developed as an ‘Education city’. The focus is gender relations with analysis under two categories: ‘locals’ and ‘outsiders’. While urbanization was thought of as a linear process where surplus production in the rural areas would naturally lead to cities, in the global south capitalist real estate-led development has meant that urbanization is often superimposed on existing rural societies, pushing them towards marginalization in favor of gated enclaved urban infrastructure. Employing qualitative interviews, I hypothesize that the private capital-driven urbanization in Sonipat not only geographically marginalizes the existing villages but also engenders dissonant experiences of local and outsider women. The fault lines between the two mean that interaction between them is defined by exploitation and mutual suspicion. Further, I argue that within this dichotomy, women bear the brunt of social control, restricted movement and potential violence.