Selfing the City: Single Women Migrants and Their Lives in Kolkata

Exploring the quest for ‘self’ in the city through migrant women’s narratives

This ethnographical study explores the process of migration and its economic, social and psychological dimensions, throwing light on the connection between middle-class women migrants and city spaces. The study is based on a survey, discussions and interviews, and highlights the emergence of a gendered citizen in an unknown and then gradually made-known or ‘selfed’ city.

Through their narratives, these women share their experiences of the emergence of the embodied ‘self’ while negotiating a modern urban space. This includes challenging existing notions of empowerment, intimacy and security, suggesting how what women need brings forth changes in themselves and in the process shapes the future of cities.