ABSTRACT

This chapter continues the previous chapter’s interrogation of relations between activists and residents by looking at the work of a group of housing activists operating in Girgaum. Whereas the previous chapter looks at differing ways of localizing culture and historical significance, this chapter is concerned with notions about legality and legitimacy in housing struggles. Situating the work of housing activists in Girgaum within a discourse about the effects of judicialization and an increased relevance of legal literacy in several countries of the so-called ‘Global South’, the complicated relationship between housing activists and residents is assessed. While housing activists’ strict insistence on legal procedure and their authoritative reading of legal texts contributes to their respect among residents, many residents regard their ideology as impractical and out of touch with the realities of life in an Indian metropolis. Divergent notions of which practices in housing struggles are to be considered as signifying ‘corruption’ further complicate activist–resident relations. Looking at interactions and discussions between housing activists and their clients, the chapter discusses fault lines in middle-class attitudes towards (il)legality, particularly in regard to differing opinions about which actions in housing struggles are to be regarded as defendable and which are to be considered as condemnable.