‘Race’ and inequality in postcolonial urban settings Examples from Peru, Jamaica, and Indonesia

In this essay we present three case studies of Peru, Jamaica and Indonesia to illustrate the use of the concept of race in daily life in relation to labour, popular culture and beauty respectively. These cases demonstrate how the use of the concept of race changes in the transition from a colonial into a postcolonial setting, depending on the role of the state and nation building. In Peru, we see a clear continuation of racialized thinking; thinking and speaking in terms of ‘race’ is still the norm. In Jamaica we find a process of inversion: the concept of race is maintained as a frame of societal analysis, but blackness is revalidated and has become a prerequisite for national and cultural belonging. In Indonesia racialized categorizations have disappeared almost completely as ‘race’ has become subjected to the development rhetoric, which just allows limited space for ethnic manifestations. However, discrimination on other rhetorical basis, such as non-citizenship, remains

Communities as Global Actors in Counterhegemonic Policy Mobilities: Lessons from the Community Land Trust Movement

This article argues that the connectedness among low-income urban communities is often undervalued by supporting organizations and in policy mobilities studies. These communities are considered local case studies, disregarding their global relational dynamics. To illustrate their role in the circulation of policy ideas, we explore the global Community Land Trust (CLT) movement as commons-based resistance which continues to expand through community-to-community collaborations. Emphasizing the contributions of these urban communities to counterhegemonic policy mobilities is crucial to develop more effective approaches that address the needs of the “urban poor.” Describing the global trajectory of the Caño Martín Peña Community Land Trust from Puerto Rico, we argue that long-lasting social change—and a true commoning of knowledge—can only occur when grassroots organizations are recognized as active stakeholders in the mobilities process, rather than being treated as mere subjects of study

‘Race' and Inequality in Postcolonial Urban Settings Examples From Peru, Jamaica, and Indonesia

In this essay we present three case studies of Peru, Jamaica and Indonesia toillustrate the use of the concept of race in daily life in relation to labour, popularculture and beauty respectively. These cases demonstrate how the use of theconcept of race changes in the transition from a colonial into a postcolonialsetting, depending on the role of the state and nation building. In Peru, we seea clear continuation of racialized thinking; thinking and speaking in terms of‘race' is still the norm. In Jamaica we find a process of inversion: the concept ofrace is maintained as a frame of societal analysis, but blackness is revalidatedand has become a prerequisite for national and cultural belonging. In Indonesiaracialized categorizations have disappeared almost completely as ‘race' hasbecome subjected to the development rhetoric, which just allows limited spacefor ethnic manifestations. However, discrimination on other rhetorical basis,such as non-citizenship, remains