This course focuses upon the city in history, through two of the worlds most famous metropolises, Delhi and London. The course is structured thematically to facilitate an interdisciplinary approach and a comparative analysis of urban societies across time and space. The seven historic cities, from Indraprastha to Shahjahanabad that predated the modern capital of New Delhi provide a rich and variegated tapestry against which we can explore core themes of urban history such as city culture, labor, migration, class and spatial segregation, colonial and post-colonial administrations and environmental policies. This is juxtaposed against a study of London from the days of the Great Plague to that of Ken Livingstone, to provide a nuanced historical and cutting-edge contemporary view of citizens lives in a global metropolis. Finally, the course examines how Delhi and Londons historical ties through the British Empire have contributed to present-day cultural and political affinities.
