The postcolonial city in S outh A sia

As a colonial invention, K arachi embodies the dynamics of postcolonial movement, diasporic populations, class inequality, new aspirations and abrasions, and a radical assortment of ethnicities and cultures. While K arachi remains a space where relations of power established during British colonial rule linger, it is also a site where new structures of power and a politics of identity have been negotiated and autochthonous claims contested. In the 1980s the rise of Muhajir militant nationalism inscribed within K arachi's landscape punctured dreams of a cosmopolitan city aligned with the visions of its postcolonial elite. K arachi's brutal ethnic riots and subsequent army operations brought to light the violent, anarchic side of the city. For many K arachi was never the same again. Engaging with history, anthropology, and postcolonial theory and geography, I reflect in this essay on the changing nature of the P akistani metropolis in the context of its ethnic marking and various national projects. I consider how new formations are intertwined with K arachi's reconstruction, especially current missions that endeavour to transform the insurgent metropolis into a space symbolic of a progressive and secular P akistan.