Slum Acts. Veena Das

110

      117  111

      118  112

      119  113

      120  114

      121  115

      122  116

      123  117

      124  118

      125  119

      126  120

      127  121

      128  122

      129  123

      130  124

      131  125

      132  126

      133  127

      134  128

      135  129

      136  130

      137  131

      138  132

      139  133

      140  134

      141  135

      142  136

      143  137

      144  138

      145  139

      146  140

      147  141

      148  142

      149  143

      150  144

      151  145

      152  146

      153  147

      154  148

      155  165

      156 166

      157 167

      158 168

      159 169

      160 170

      161 171

      162 172

      163 173

      164 174

      165 175

      166 176

      167 177

      168 178

      169 179

      170 180

      171  181

      172 182

      173 183

      174 184

      175 185

      176 186

      177 187

      178 188

      179 189

      180 190

      181  191

After the Postcolonial

      A series sponsored by the Smuts Memorial Fund University of Cambridge

      AbdouMaliq Simone, Improvised Lives Veena Das, Slum Acts

Slum Acts

      Veena Das

      polity

      Copyright © Veena Das 2022

      The right of Veena Das to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      First published in 2022 by Polity Press

      Polity Press

      65 Bridge Street

      Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

      Polity Press

      101 Station Landing

      Suite 300

      Medford, MA 02155, USA

      All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

      ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3787-7

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2021942993

      The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

      Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

      For further information on Polity, visit our website:

      politybooks.com

Acknowledgments

      I was privileged to be invited to deliver the Smuts Lectures at the University of Cambridge in 2018 and want to thank Professors Ash Amin, Sruti Kapila, and Saul Debow for this invitation and the intellectual stimulation they provided during my visit. Professor Amin graciously steered discussions during the public lectures and seminars, creating an environment of intellectual excitement and vibrant exchange of ideas. I want to thank particularly James Laidlaw, Marilyn Strathern, Caroline Humphrey, Joel Robbins, Heonik Kwon, Perveez Mody, and David Mosse for their critical attention to the details that allow concepts to emerge within the ethnography.

Over the years, I have learnt much from discussions with Clara Han, Nayanika Mookherjee, Bhrigupati Singh, Sruti Chaganti, Pooja Satyogi, Aditi Saraf, Megha Sehdev, Kunal Joshi, Vaibhav Saria, Anna Wherry, Pratiksha Baxi, Didier Fassin, and Naveeda Khan on matters relating to law, policing, and surveillance. During the period of intense isolation and repeated illnesses of the COVID year that I lived through, I was privileged to count on Andrew Brandel, Michael Puett, Lotte Segal, and Nayan Das to be with me to form a protective circle that sustained thought through words and gestures of care. With what words can I thank my friends Deepak Mehta, Rita Brara, Pratiksha Baxi, and Roma Chatterji? Roma allowed me access to a trunkful of court documents she had collected but was not planning to work with; and Deepak, Pratiksha, and Rita shared insights on events for which I could not be present in Delhi. My family members, from the oldest to the youngest, have astonishing abilities to be supportive and critical at the same time – so, thank you guys for not giving up on me. I also want to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Ellison 10 at Mass General