Lecture

Negotiating Space: Housing, Migration, and Segregation among Highly Skilled Indian Migrants in Frankfurt

Dhara Patel

Titled Negotiating Space: Housing, Migration, and Segregation Among Highly Skilled Indian Migrants in Frankfurt, this presentation examines the socio-spatial practices of Indian Highly Skilled Migrants (HSMs) in Frankfurt am Main, a global city marked by both economic vibrancy and spatial inequalities.

Through the lenses of racial capitalism, neoliberal urbanism, and postcolonial urbanism, the presentation explores three interrelated themes: residential segregation, internal segregation, and cultural invisibility. It highlights how systemic barriers and discriminatory rental practices confine HSMs to marginalized housing conditions, regardless of their professional status, and how internal class and caste dynamics within the diaspora further stratify their experiences. Additionally, it investigates the marginalization of cultural and religious institutions, relegating them to the city’s periphery while commodified representations of Indian culture thrive in elite urban spaces.

Using qualitative and quantitative data, this talk critically interrogates Frankfurt’s multicultural branding, exposing the tension between its inclusive narrative and the structural inequalities faced by migrants. It situates these findings within the broader framework of global cities, emphasizing the disarray created by neoliberal urban policies that privilege profit over genuine inclusivity. The case of Indian HSMs provides a lens to understand how migration and urban policies intersect to shape identity, space, and belonging in rapidly globalizing urban landscapes.

Bio:

Dr Dhara Patel is an architect and postdoc researcher with her own position, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) at the Institute of Sociology (Urban Sociology and Sociology of Space) at Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany. With over 12 years of international and interdisciplinary teaching experience in Germany and Australia, spanning the fields of Architecture, Sociology, and Design, Dr Patel’s research and teaching interests revolve around urban studies, housing, socio-spatial studies, architecture and culture, dwelling practices, postcolonial studies, globalisation, migration, Indian diaspora, and social justice. Dr Patel holds a PhD in Architecture Building and Planning, awarded in December 2018 from the University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Design, Australia.

This Talk has been conceived in the scope of the Lecture Series HOUSING AND…  It invites a diverse group of guests to examine Housing in between architectural production, the historical, socio-political and territorial context, the heritage and cultural making processes, as well as the public space and the public debate.

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