Heritage, Crafting Communities and Urban Transformation

Debapriya Chakrabarti is a researcher in the field of urban studies at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research and teaches at the Manchester School of Architecture. She is trained as an architect and urban planner. Her research interests lie at the intersection of urban regeneration, cultural industries, and place-based development policies.

Lists Of FiguresList Of TablesPrefaceAcknowledgement Chapter 1 Durga Puja, Kumartuli and KolkataFestival, religion, culture, and politicsColonial Calcutta’s Durga PujaBarowari brought inclusivityCultural heritage, informality, and idol-crafting practiceStructure of the bookChapter 2 Crafts and Practitioners Idol crafting practice and sustainability Kumbhakar caste relates to pottery The Caste-based potters’ para Interwoven communities of practice Emerging actors and shiftsChapter 3 The spaces of production The neighbourhood Streetscapes, alleys, riverfront The conventional workshop-residence The ‘factory-shed’ workshopChapter 4 Seasonal adaptations and everyday negotiation The preparation phase Adaptation, accommodations, and negotiationsInfrastructural disrepair and hopelessnessSocial cohesion, coordination, and competitionWill Kumartuli continue to thrive?Chapter 5 Complexities The redevelopment plan Reaction and resistance to the KMDA plan Tenure and ownership: realities Informality in the heritageChapter 6 The emerging and diverging spaces of production Kumartuli on a regular day Changing spaces: Repurposed workshop Agency and new typologies Appropriation and socio-spatial relations Spatial flexibility and reparation in a Kolkata bastiChapter 7 Kumartuli’s future? Kumartuli’s present Reparations and public services Contributions and implications of this research Recommendations Personal reflectionMethodological Appendix: Research Strategies Practice Theory research method FieldworkGlossary of Bengali wordsIndex