Jamesholston

Holston has authored and edited several foundational texts in urban anthropology: James Holston's Insurgent Citizenship

: This theory describes how marginalized urban residents—particularly the poor in the global South—engage in "counter-politics" to claim rights. By building their own homes and neighborhoods on "illegalized" land, these residents transform themselves into "contributor-citizens" who demand inclusion in the formal legal city. jamesholston

: Holston provided a seminal critique of Brasília , Brazil's planned capital. He analyzed how the city’s modernist design attempted to social-engineer a new society but instead resulted in unintended social exclusions and "disjunctions". Key Publications Holston has authored and edited several foundational texts

James Holston is a prominent and Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley , where he also serves as the founding director of the Social Apps Lab . His work is primarily recognized for redefining how we understand the relationship between urban space, social movements, and democracy. Core Research Themes He analyzed how the city’s modernist design attempted

Holston’s scholarship focuses on the as a strategic site for the emergence and erosion of citizenship. He is best known for two influential concepts: