On Forms of Inequality: Urban Dynamics and Choice

Wary of views on “equality” undergirded by an ideology of homologation and the annihilation of individuality. Ethnographic studies from Europe, Africa and Asia bring out the fundamental distinction between equality and levelling to address inequalities in health, income, education, labour market and competition, and the gaps between different parts of a country—often worsened by stereotype and stigma. An ethnographically based analysis, it is argued, helps to identify the defining aspects of structural inequality, as it is perpetuated by unequal relations in roles, functions, decisions, rights and opportunities. It helps to bring to light the interconnections between different forms of inequality and to examine the forces that combine to create inequalities. It helps to understand the dynamics that inform the principle of freedom of thought and of action and recognize empirically that these dynamics not only protect difference but increase it, for they underpin the significance of merit and the freedom of the individual to use their talents to manage their lives and achieve their goals.