This book brings together critical discussions on the challenges of urban transformation and the limited opportunities available to marginalized youth in contemporary India. Against the backdrop of neo-liberal policies, globalization, and assertive privatization, the book explores how youth from disadvantaged social castes and rural backgrounds navigate the urban landscape in pursuit of education, skills, and secure futures. While cities are seen as spaces of aspiration, they also exacerbate precarity due to the dominance of a globalized middle class and diminishing prospects for stable employment. Through multi-disciplinary perspectives from sociology, anthropology, human geography, political economy, and development studies, the contributors provide a nuanced analysis of these dynamics, grounded in the lived experiences of India’s youth.

This volume is an essential read for students, scholars, researchers in sociology, anthropology, urban studies, development studies, and human geography. It will also appeal to policymakers, practitioners, and anyone interested in understanding the intersection of urban change, youth aspirations, and social inequality in contemporary India.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of South Asian History and Culture.