'Fascinating and original studies of cities as diverse as Singapore and Istanbul, prominant poles in the processes of globalizaiton, yet here considered in their particularities and minutiae of communities and neighborhoods, constructing their living and symbolic spaces in the web of powers, constraints and opportunities generated by the interaction of the global, the national and the local. These are refreshing perspectives.' - Sami Zubaida, School of Oriental and African Studies
'Rrefreshing and timely... this book enriches current debates with perspectives 'from below' drawn from diverse metropolitan contexts ranging from Istanbul, Cairo and Beirut to Manila and Singapore. Alongside offering the reader a wealth of much-needed empirical material, it makes an important analytic contribution by insisting on a sophisticated and dynamic understanding of processes of 'localization', not as inert, resistive or residual, but as actively shaping the outcomes of globalization' - Deniz Kandiyoti, School of Oriental and African Studies
