Exploring the Connections between Urban Refugees, Places, and Social Capital.

Indian cities have witnessed unprecedented flows of displaced people in modern times. It began with the influx of Hindus and Sikhs from East and West Pakistan in 1947, followed by Tibetan refugees in the 1960s, Afghan Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians in the 1990s. A majority of these refugees settled in New Delhi. They contributed to the development of the city's built form, culture, and economy. These people rebuilt themselves and influenced the city through their agency and community support. They built new places that reeked their culture and identity, amalgamating their culture and identity with the city's culture and identity. They also undertook the accumulation of social capital in the new territory to assimilate into society. Despite wielding such an influence on the urban centers, they continue to be marginalised in the city. They received no state support in creating places of their own and, in turn, making the city their own. Thus, this study aimed to look at the processes involved in place-building and social capital accumulation by refugees, which ultimately aids in reterritorialisation. It is set in an environment where the vulnerable and marginalised groups create spaces without a refugee policy and state support. The study is based on the works of anthropologists such as Kunz, Malkki, and Appadurai. It looks at how places are built by refugees and the factors that influence them, such as memory and a national past. It also includes the theorisation of capital by Bourdieu to understand social capital. It is an ethnographic study that explores one refugee-dominated neighbourhood in New Delhi called Khirkhi extension. It employed qualitative tools to collect data such as interviews, participant, and non-participant observation. Further, data analysis was conducted through qualitative coding data. The study's findings reveal that there are three kinds of places built by refugees in New Delhi. One is rooted in their social relations and interactions, the other one influenced by memory. The third kind involved making sense of the new territory and influencing its norms instead of building a new place. The study also revealed that the lack of rights for the refugees limited the accumulation of social and economic capital in the city. The resources embedded in the ethnic ties of the refugees were the principal ways of accumulating social capital and social position in society. The resources here refer to the connections and ties made by the refugee communities and the perception of the community in the mind of the natives. Interestingly, social position influenced place-building. Assessment of social capital and position revealed power struggle and hierarchy among the different communities of the neighbourhood. The study analyses the connections between refugees, places, and social capital in a South Asian city. It deals with the issues of marginalisation, social exclusion, and agency of the people of the developing world. Furthermore, it acts as a commentary on the cultural landscape of New Delhi. Politics, religion, and narratives influence the city's culture. All of these are visible in the places and people who are accepted and rejected. Thus, the work straddle between multiple domains of enquiry in the field of place-building, exhibiting diversity like seen in the cities of South Asia.