"Tracing the making of Kachi Abadis: an economic analysis and political implications of slums in urban Lahore."

Crossroads Asia Lecture by Dr. M. Ibrahim, 11 am at ZEF, right conference room.

The ecological balances of the urban centers have been threatened by rapid urbanization. Population growth and a large number of migrants from rural and urban areas are settling in substandard squatting to fulfill their socio-economic needs within the urban environments. Lahore, being the biggest and populous city after Karachi in Pakistan, proves to be a good case study on the historical evolution and socio-economic conditions of the inhabitants of squatter settlements locally called kachi abadis. It will be shown how rapid demographic growth over the last sixty years has vehemently changed the spatial structure of Lahore. This presentation focuses on the urban population’s living standards, livelihood activities, and political dynamics in terms of Biradari alliances.

Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim is Assistant Professor, working as Chairperson of the Department of History, GC University Lahore. His PhD-research on the topic “Role of biradari system in power politics of Lahore since independence” was completed in 2011. Dr Ibrahim visits ZEF within the framework of the GCU-ZEF Pakistani-German Research Collaboration project.

Time and place: Nov 28, 11 am - 12.30 am. ZEF, Bonn. Right conference room (ground floor).