{"id":{"repo_id":"cambridge","oai_identifier":"oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/367756"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cambridge/oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/367756","repository":{"repo_id":"cambridge","name":"Cambridge University","base_url":"https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"\"If We Are Nothing Without Them, Then They Are Also Nothing Without Us\": Cross-Class Political Mobilisation in Urban Pakistan","abstract":"In cities of the Global South, socioeconomic class is a major factor in social, spatial, and political fragmentation. The thesis challenges existing approaches to urban politics, which largely theorise political practices as class distinct. The thesis seeks to interrogate these framings through developing the concept of ‘overlapping politics’, defined as a political relationship between two (or more) distinct socio-economic classes of citizen(s) in response to any form of injustice or inequality. Conceptually, the research is inspired by, and builds upon, scholarship on urban politics, class, political relationships, and urban citizenship. Empirically, it explores the long- term relationship between middle-class identifying individuals and the urban poor in Islamabad who collaborate as part of an organised cross-class political party. These groups work together to challenge the threat of eviction and address deficiencies in public infrastructure and service provision. The thesis argues that different class identities ‘overlap’ in political mobilisation strategies, not only influencing the way that those involved relate to, and understand, the city and each other, but also impacting their experiences of urban citizenship. In doing so, it makes three important theoretical contributions. First, it emphasises that claims-making in urban contexts necessitates the formation of cross-class political relationships because of the mutual and fluid contributions of citizens belonging to different class groups. This lies in contrast to previous framings of class groups as insular. Second, it highlights that research on political processes should pay increased attention to the ways that higher-class groups transform themselves, and are transformed, through their involvement. This contrasts the tendency for studies of ‘empowerment’ to focus on the poor. Finally, the concept of ‘overlapping politics’ expands critical understandings of urban citizenship in ways that are of distinct relevance in contexts where the provision of rights is highly differentiated among demographic groups and where citizenship for certain demographic groups is frequently mediated by, and through, other demographic groups. Analysis draws from qualitative data acquired through interviews with 159 individuals and participant observation over eight months of fieldwork. ‘Overlapping politics’ serves as a promising and useful tool in understanding and evaluating the potential for more inclusive urban futures by prioritising the importance of recognising and examining cross-class relationships between urban citizens.","abstract_html":"In cities of the Global South, socioeconomic class is a major factor in social, spatial, and political fragmentation. The thesis challenges existing approaches to urban politics, which largely theorise political practices as class distinct. The thesis seeks to interrogate these framings through developing the concept of ‘overlapping politics’, defined as a political relationship between two (or more) distinct socio-economic classes of citizen(s) in response to any form of injustice or inequality. Conceptually, the research is inspired by, and builds upon, scholarship on urban politics, class, political relationships, and urban citizenship. Empirically, it explores the long- term relationship between middle-class identifying individuals and the urban poor in Islamabad who collaborate as part of an organised cross-class political party. These groups work together to challenge the threat of eviction and address deficiencies in public infrastructure and service provision. The thesis argues that different class identities ‘overlap’ in political mobilisation strategies, not only influencing the way that those involved relate to, and understand, the city and each other, but also impacting their experiences of urban citizenship. In doing so, it makes three important theoretical contributions. First, it emphasises that claims-making in urban contexts necessitates the formation of cross-class political relationships because of the mutual and fluid contributions of citizens belonging to different class groups. This lies in contrast to previous framings of class groups as insular. Second, it highlights that research on political processes should pay increased attention to the ways that higher-class groups transform themselves, and are transformed, through their involvement. This contrasts the tendency for studies of ‘empowerment’ to focus on the poor. Finally, the concept of ‘overlapping politics’ expands critical understandings of urban citizenship in ways that are of distinct relevance in contexts where the provision of rights is highly differentiated among demographic groups and where citizenship for certain demographic groups is frequently mediated by, and through, other demographic groups. Analysis draws from qualitative data acquired through interviews with 159 individuals and participant observation over eight months of fieldwork. ‘Overlapping politics’ serves as a promising and useful tool in understanding and evaluating the potential for more inclusive urban futures by prioritising the importance of recognising and examining cross-class relationships between urban citizens.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Siddiqui, Hafsah Haseeb"],"institution":"University of Cambridge","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Lemanski, Charlotte"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-08-29","date_published":"2023-08-29","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:08Z","subjects":["Cross-class","Islamabad","Political mobilisation","Urban citizenship","Urban politics"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/3d2e7e88-6439-4cba-9735-230a7b88af16/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108226","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Lemanski, Charlotte"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.sponsor","label":"Sponsor","values":["Gates Cambridge Trust"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Siddiqui, Hafsah Haseeb"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2023-08-29"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cambridge"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby URI","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/367756"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Cross-class","Islamabad","Political mobilisation","Urban citizenship","Urban politics"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/3d2e7e88-6439-4cba-9735-230a7b88af16/download","https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"]},{"key":"dc:rights.embargodate","label":"Dc Rights Embargodate","values":["2030-05-02"]},{"key":"dc:rights.embargotype","label":"Dc Rights Embargotype","values":["embargo"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108226"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/730a7613-caf3-495d-93b1-f1e23e9f2c26/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In cities of the Global South, socioeconomic class is a major factor in social, spatial, and political fragmentation. 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The thesis argues that different class identities ‘overlap’ in political mobilisation strategies, not only influencing the way that those involved relate to, and understand, the city and each other, but also impacting their experiences of urban citizenship. In doing so, it makes three important theoretical contributions. First, it emphasises that claims-making in urban contexts necessitates the formation of cross-class political relationships because of the mutual and fluid contributions of citizens belonging to different class groups. This lies in contrast to previous framings of class groups as insular. Second, it highlights that research on political processes should pay increased attention to the ways that higher-class groups transform themselves, and are transformed, through their involvement. This contrasts the tendency for studies of ‘empowerment’ to focus on the poor. Finally, the concept of ‘overlapping politics’ expands critical understandings of urban citizenship in ways that are of distinct relevance in contexts where the provision of rights is highly differentiated among demographic groups and where citizenship for certain demographic groups is frequently mediated by, and through, other demographic groups. Analysis draws from qualitative data acquired through interviews with 159 individuals and participant observation over eight months of fieldwork. ‘Overlapping politics’ serves as a promising and useful tool in understanding and evaluating the potential for more inclusive urban futures by prioritising the importance of recognising and examining cross-class relationships between urban citizens."]},{"key":"dc:format.checksum.md5","label":"Dc Format Checksum Md5","values":["e4707a20d78f1ce7a9cbcfa12de36f57","87eda9de84448d1f82354d60eee3eb5f"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["\"If We Are Nothing Without Them, Then They Are Also Nothing Without Us\": Cross-Class Political Mobilisation in Urban Pakistan"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Lemanski, Charlotte"],"dc:contributor.sponsor":["Gates Cambridge Trust"],"dc:creator":["Siddiqui, Hafsah Haseeb"],"dc:date.issued":["2023-08-29"],"dc:description.abstract":["In cities of the Global South, socioeconomic class is a major factor in social, spatial, and political fragmentation. 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The thesis argues that different class identities ‘overlap’ in political mobilisation strategies, not only influencing the way that those involved relate to, and understand, the city and each other, but also impacting their experiences of urban citizenship. In doing so, it makes three important theoretical contributions. First, it emphasises that claims-making in urban contexts necessitates the formation of cross-class political relationships because of the mutual and fluid contributions of citizens belonging to different class groups. This lies in contrast to previous framings of class groups as insular. Second, it highlights that research on political processes should pay increased attention to the ways that higher-class groups transform themselves, and are transformed, through their involvement. This contrasts the tendency for studies of ‘empowerment’ to focus on the poor. 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