The Contributions of Economic Anthropology to the Political Economy of Cities

Urban anthropology's centrality within anthropology and the growing importance of urban areas to global modernity are reflected in the choice of the Society for Economic Anthropology (SEA) to focus its 2012 meeting and this journal volume on the political economy of cities. In this volume, we undertake two tasks. First, we emphasize patterns of urban inequality and political struggle that inform the distribution of economic resources and the ways in which those with fewer resources manipulate and challenge the dominant pattern of resource allocation. Second, we focus on three topical areas of general anthropological interest and contemporary importance: (a) the transformation of urban economies in light of contemporary neoliberalism and how such changes affect the livelihoods of market vendors and less-affluent urban residents, (b) forms of ancient and contemporary city planning, the political and economic interests behind them, and their subsequent effect on diverse urban communities, and (c) attempts by political leaders and policymakers to control the movement of urban populations and the consequent economic impacts on those forced to move or discouraged from moving. Although the featured articles reflect only a small portion of current work on the political economy of cities, they show clearly that elites working to create cities and urban spaces to their own benefit frequently marginalize and suppress the interests of the poor and working class. However, disadvantaged groups also work in their own interests for tangible benefits and future social mobility.