Welcome to my website. I am currently an Assistant Professor at University of Arizona’s School of Geography and Development where I teach graduate and undergraduate courses on international development, global cities, feminist theory, and political geography.
My work focuses on politics and life in (post)colonial cities. My most recent project examines the political economy and cultural politics of efforts to transform Mumbai (India) into a global city through the clearance and redevelopment of informal settlements or “slums”. I explore the ways that slum residents, social movements and NGOs negotiate or contest dispossession and displacement. In unpacking diverse and contradictory claims to urban space, I’ve found that redevelopment is not only about the remaking of cities but also the remaking of states and subjects.
My research, teaching and outreach work is informed by previous and ongoing political engagement in India and immigrant communities in the U.S. My “past life” as a development practitioner in Nepal, Brazil and the U.S. also continues to shape my understanding and critical engagement with (post)colonial development politics today.
Sapana’s CV [PDF]