Urban fragments in the politics of infrastructure: land claims and livelihood spaces of a fishing community in Chennai

Abstract

The land claims of urban-dwelling communities are inextricably intertwined with livelihood and dwelling issues. These are critical, multi-layered issues in cities of the global South, given the variety of ideas of ownership prevailing and the vast array of institutions with relevant roles. This field note discusses the situation of a fishing hamlet in coastal Chennai, India which is jeopardized by a judicial intervention ordaining the relocation of its fish vendors away from their current location to a designated market yet to be constructed, purportedly in the interest of beautification and to decongest the city’s traffic. It provides context for this situation, describing the prior process of the hamlet being subsumed into expanding urban infrastructure and how this fragmentation challenges the community’s socio-spatial life and practices. Through interviews and observation, the field note explores how this fishing community has preserved its sense of belonging and negotiated with the state to affirm its territorial claims.