The articles in this special issue examine engagements across ethnic boundaries in Asian cities over the past two centuries. We see these cities as stages for the co-production of ethnicity, where multiple actors, including but not limited to state authorities, have attempted to define, manage, and challenge the social boundaries between their diverse inhabitants. These articles direct our attention to the convergence of three critical themes: the flexibility and ubiquity of ethnic ascription, the top-down and bottom-up co-production of social meaning, and Asian cities as crucial sites of social innovation.
From ARI organised Conference “Managing the Cosmopolitan City: Inter-Asian Strategies of Ethnic Administration, Past and Present”, 14–15 January 2021.
