ABSTRACT
This book has two main aims: to reflect on the progress made in studying cities throughout the world; and to act as point of departure in a re-imagining of cities that takes seriously urban theory beyond ‘the West’. We respond to interdisciplinary concerns over the global disparities of academic knowledge and growing recognition by urban theorists of the need to appreciate the diversity of cities. To this end, chapters in this volume challenge core assumptions which frame urban theory and investigate the ways in which the study of cities has been dominated by parochial agendas, perspectives and assumptions. Accordingly, we contribute to broader theoretical agendas which highlight how making sense of urban life does not have to depend on pre-existing frameworks laid down by the ‘Western’ academy.
