Urbanisation and Social Change in Rural India

A major social transformation is reshaping rural India. New processes of urbanization are marked by steep declines in agricultural jobs, the restructuring of local economies, changing livelihoods, and the emergence of new forms of permanent circular labor migration. Our research suggests that this transformation has important social ramifications for household dynamics and class structures, with implications for conventional urban theory and potential relevance for urbanizing experiences of other parts of the Global South. In India alone, this transformation is affecting the livelihoods and well-being of hundreds of millions of people.