ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author considers certain similarities between the cities of Calcutta and Istanbul; their relationship to neoliberal ideas of privatized, ordered and regulated cities and state responses to the dense and layered life which exists on their streets; and alternative imaginaries of urban life which can accommodate this street life. In these cities, some hawkers may be officially licensed or regulated by the state, but in both cities, a majority of hawkers are informal. Hawking presents a line of work which is believed to have low entry and exit costs compared to many other lines of work in cities where formal industrial employment is on the wane, but which continue to attract rural populations. The recent protests in Istanbul have been covered in many ways – for example as student protests against a repressive state, or as secular uprisings against the AK party.
