This paper is organized at two levels. First it discusses some epistemic concerns that have been recently articulated regarding urban studies and its theories. These relate to the use of the theories of modernity and developmentalism which scholars of urban studies have questioned. In the first part of the paper, I bring into conversation the …

WPS 245 Decolonial Lens on Cities and Urbanisms: Reflections on the System of Petty Production in India Read More »

This paper examines the changing roles of monks in alternative development in northeast Thailand. Specifically, it is an attempt to understand the relationship among development monks, NGOs, and the state in the context of localist development ideology and practice. When the phrase ‘development monk’ first entered the Thai lexicon, it was primarily used to refer …

WPS 244 Collaboration or Appropriation? Development Monks and State Localism in Northeast Thailand Read More »

Based on multi-sited fieldwork in India, Britain, USA and Singapore, I examine a Jain socio-spiritual organisation’s (TripleS) involvement in development activities in Gujarat, India. I ask how religious links with the Jain tradition strengthen or weaken TripleS’ ability to deliver ‘secular’ development activities. I examine the religious ideas and spiritual resources on which Jain nuns …

WPS 243 Compassion and Sanskara in the Context of Neoliberalism: Factors Shaping a Jain Socio-spiritual Organisation’s Development Activities in Gujarat, India Read More »

This paper interrogates the relationships between architectural representation, spatial production and state power in the context of the making of Marina Bay Sands. I critically analyze and unpack the micro-politics of the planning and competition process around 2005 that transformed the Las Vegas casino-resort into the “Integrated Resort” at Singapore’s Marina Bay. My analysis reveals …

WPS 242 From Casino to Integrated Resort: Nationalist Modernity and the Art of Blending Read More »

Focusing on the bissu, the transgender priests of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, the article explicates the emergent indigenous transgender identity within the contemporary artistic and economic practices. The bissu‘s interactions with the local clients, the state and global culture industry, as well as their representations on mass media and performing arts demonstrate that the bissu transgender …

WPS 241 How Economy Matters to Indigenous Identity of Bissu, Transgender Priests of South Sulawesi, Indonesia Read More »

Migration studies almost always tend to emphasize economic factors as the overriding motivation for leaving and are always couched in terms of searching for better sources of livelihood. Where studies have shifted to the emotional sphere, these usually focus on the destruction of the intimate relations particularly among those who have been left behind by …

WPS 240 Love on the Run: Transmigration, Emotions, and Governmentality Among Filipino Domestic Workers in Singapore and Thailand Read More »