Interview with Dr. Juan Miguel Kanai (University of Sheffield) at the Institute for Urban Research

Interview with Dr. Juan Miguel Kanai (University of Sheffield) at the Institute for Urban Research, Malmö University. Interviewer: Yénika Castillo Muñoz. 24 April 2025. Nordic Network of Global South Urbanisms (NEGSU).

Questions
• What do we mean by "the urban"? What are we studying when we claim to study the urban, and how is it characterized from a Global South perspective? Furthermore, how can—and should—we come to know the urban?
• Which perhaps lesser-known—or even forgotten—urban theorists from the Global South and beyond might help us advance an anti-colonial, anti-capitalist critique of the urban condition? And have any of these thinkers influenced your own work in particular?
• In your work, you explore global patterns of urbanization, and you're careful to frame it within systems of oppression and global inequalities. Connecting this to how urbanization materializes differently in the Global North and Global South, I’m curious about your perspective. How do these differences manifest across regions?
• Given the rise of new technologies, how do you understand the meanings of "the rural" and "the peripheral" today? How are these categories being redefined?
• You’ve discussed how new “green” zones can act as modern sacrifice zones, echoing industrial harms seen globally. This resonates with Latin American experiences of displacement and environmental damage. How do you see these developments shaping urban futures, and are they truly addressing past injustices or replicating them in new forms?
• You've worked extensively with educational and cultural spaces as platforms for broader public engagement in urban development—ideally fostering more democratic and inclusive processes. Based on that, where do you see urban development heading in the Global South, particularly in the contexts you focus on?
• What aspect of urbanization in the Global South do you find most compelling—something that perhaps resonates with you personally or that you find particularly enriching to study and learn from?