Events

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Lin Qianhan, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.

ABSTRACT

In this talk, I take issue with the popular notion that rising economic inequality alone leads to social division. I argue that it is not simply the extent of inequality that matters but how it is organized. Specifically, I look at how the spatial organization of inequality functions to foster social division or to inhibit its emergence. Most scholars have considered the spatial organization of inequality in the form of segregation. They contend that segregation worsens social division by reinforcing an existing categorical or group difference. I argue that segregation may create that very difference through a process called spatialization. In spatialization, a social relationship is expressed spatially. A relationship between distinct spaces or spatial facts is then taken as representing a relationship between different groups. A theory of spatialization helps us explain why class division developed in Metro Manila but not in Singapore despite higher economic inequality. In Manila, class division developed along the boundary of slums and enclaves, while in Singapore, the erasure of a separate space for the poor and the eventual accommodation of most of the population in public housing inhibited the emergence of class division even as class distinctions grew more pronounced.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Marco Garrido received his BA in English from Harvard University, MA in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame and PhD in Sociology from the University of Michigan. His research explores the relationship between urban fragmentation and political polarization in Metro Manila, Philippines. He finds that these developments are not merely coincident but connected, with class segregation a crucial mechanism in the formation of the polar political dispositions of the urban rich (villagers) and poor (squatters). In short, the spatial divide between squatters and villagers is deeply implicated in their political divide. The different knowledge informing their different interpretations of political figures and events is not just located in distinct spaces, slums and enclaves, but constituted by the segregation of these spaces.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you RSVP Mr Jonathan Lee via email: jonathan.lee@nus.edu.sg