Contesting property hegemony in Asian cities

The chapter attempts to show the dialectical relationships between state violence and the construction of property hegemony, which have enabled the Asian states to pursue the urbanization of capital while ensuring social stability. It draws attention to the rich history of urban contestations Asian economies have witnessed so as to challenge the conventional wisdom that Asia’s economic miracle is maintained by the efficient functioning of the state in the absence of political contestations. The rise of Asian developmental states and the recreation of Party States have been possible because of their need to respond to the socio-political pressure mounted by grassroots politics, including labor struggles and democratization movements. The chapter contends that acknowledging the rich history of urban contestations would further facilitate the construction of progressive urban futures by perceiving cities as ‘commonwealth.’