Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the three editors on the significance of political, economic, and social interactions in the contemporary cities of the global north and south. It focuses on the contributors whose works are grounded in distinct localities and sociohistorical contexts. The book explains the existing neo-liberal political regimes, which are fluid, evolving, always open, and relentlessly contested projects. They are political formations that negotiate and adjust to shifting realities in ever-changing social settings: evolving politics, bases of knowledge, and clusters of meanings. The book also offers complex and challenging appraisals of existing inequalities, recognizing that cities now find themselves struggling to generate wealth, tactical competitive advantage, and social solidity as they cope in a world of neoliberal dominance. Cities have long been the epicenter for capitalist growth strategies and the production of intense inequalities.