Challenging Spatial and Cultural Exclusion: Narratives of Pandemic Realities and Labor Struggles in Delhi’s Bastis

Abstract

Arguing that the assumption that the relative positions of communities partly determine the form and intensity of social interactions built back the main structures of geographical space, social scientist Ghazala Jamil frames spatial relegation as the ultimate symbol of the marginalization of individuals and communities. Industrial capitalism, through its demand for cheap labor and the mass displacement it entails, intensifies the violent interplay between spatial and cultural exclusion, particularly in urban contexts. These dynamics become more acute during crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines the intersection of spatial and cultural exclusion during this period, focusing on Delhi’s bastis and the writings of women authors behind the blogs Letters from Delhi and Dillīvālī. These literary platforms reflect on life during the pandemic and address labor issues and social justice, offering situated perspectives from marginalized urban spaces. The authors’ works highlight how residents—especially women—navigate the compounded effects of spatial and cultural exclusion in their daily lives. These blogs constitute a successful attempt at contrasting relegation and exclusion violence, in an optic that does not settle for culture reaching the margin but calls for culture being produced by those who inhabit it (Vasallo 2024).