Major cities worldwide are caught in a whirlwind of change that is turning urban spaces into strategic sites where history is being rewritten. Migration, civil society, and an array of national and transnational players are transforming assumptions about citizenship in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
From the slums of Mumbai to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the new cities are altering the answers to one of mankind’s oldest questions: where do I belong?
Barbara Drieskens is a researcher at the Institut Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO), Beirut.
Franck Mermier is the director of contemporary studies at IFPO.
Heiko Wimmen is a program manager at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Beirut.