CTA214 | The City As Archive

This course invites us to imagine the many ways in which the city becomes an active storehouse of our collective urban experiences. Using the term ‘archive’ both in the sense of a ‘record room’ as well as a way to suggest a methodological technique, this course surveys the conditions at the heart of our urbane experiences; it asks, what does it mean to lead an urban life? In calling this course ‘City as Archive’ and not ‘Archiving the City’ – two very different things – I also propose a new form of ethnographic engagement with the city via a range of sensorial experiences.

We will learn to observe the modalities of how the city bears witness to our many lives. In doing so, we will train ourselves to think of the city not merely as a backdrop, but a central character in our urban narratives whose very presence shapes our lives in distinct ways. We will think through spaces that we inhabit, spaces that we no longer occupy, and even spaces that we have only ever accessed via other people’s memories, popular culture representations, or even in fictional portrayals. How do we theorize all these different spatialities?

Many have composed paeans to cities – from poets and novelists to artists, photographers, and filmmakers. Others have drawn masterplans, architectural blueprints, street grids, and written policies about the built environment. We will discuss how these narratives, each with its own specific objectives, allow us to perceive the urban complex through different lenses. The course covers an eclectic selection of material that you will be expected to read creatively and often, unfaithfully.

Even as we read about cities elsewhere, we will be particularly thinking about cities in the Global South and more specifically about South Asian cities. We will discuss how these cities emerged through complex historical processes, what they have become today, and what the future city will look like.