The Academic Job Market: Preparing for Campus Visits

the 36 hour marathon

Being invited for a campus visit means that you are probably one of 3-5 candidates now in the running for the job. Based on my own experiences and those of others, I offer below some advice I have found useful and some insights I have gained along the way.

Campus visits in the US (I can’t speak for Canada, but I suspect they are similar there) are one of the most intense types of interview around. It’s an academic marathon, but with the added dimension of having to perform like an actual human being with social skills. For some people, this is understandably a nightmare. You’re essentially being interviewed from the dinner on the first day, through to breakfast on the third. This is a long time to be “on” and operate at that level.

However, it’s important to remember that this is an opportunity for you to interview them and figure out if this job, department and institution is right for you (see at the bottom a Twitter thread about questions to ask during your visit). It’s easy to forget this when the job market is as it is. Additionally, if you are adequately prepared, you may actually be able to enjoy meeting with (presumably) a brilliant group of scholars who are interested in you and your work. As hard as it may seem, try to have fun!

I want to preface my thoughts below: the campus visit is a tremendous amount of preparation (your first one especially, as you write and re-write numerous drafts of your talk) and you have to do your best to be prepared. All other things become of secondary importance. That being said, at this point, there are so many factors that go into deciding on a candidate that are not about you, that you have to accept that you don’t have much control over the outcome. You are clearly a qualified and exciting candidate in their eyes, otherwise why bring you in? But the job market is competitive. There are other qualified and exciting candidates. Tons of them, in fact - though you are one of the few chosen to visit the campus. Assuming you didn’t bomb your talk, not getting an offer doesn’t mean you wasted your time. It doesn’t mean you failed. It isn’t because of how you answered that question that caught you off guard at dinner. It’s important to view any campus visit you get as a huge win, and as an opportunity to build your professional relationships and reputation. At the very least, you got an incredible opportunity to showcase your work to people you respect, and to ask for feedback on your performance.

Arranging the Campus Visit

As I said with phone interviews, when arranging the dates of your visit, do not feel the pressure to say yes to the first set of dates they offer you. Try to get the dates to fit with your teaching/service commitments where possible, and ask for alternatives dates if you need to. You should be flexible to a degree, however, and make sure to convey that you are excited about the visit and that this is a priority for you.

Sometimes, you will be asked to book your own flights out of pocket and be reimbursed after your visit. I think this is a terrible system, not least because it disadvantages graduate students, post-docs, adjuncts and those with less financial resources who may have to choose a less preferable, cheaper flight. I did this and missed a connection and the faculty dinner. It was incredibly stressful. I then waited a month to get reimbursed. And no one wants to contact a department that didn’t offer them the job for a reimbursement check… Hopefully they will either book your flight for you, or direct you to their travel office who will.

When choosing flights (if given the option), I advise making sure you have a few hours buffer in case of delays, especially if you have a connecting flight. This is often the case during the job market season. If you’re going to the east coast, be mindful of flying through Chicago and other airports that experience heavy snow and storms. Consider whether a 45 minutes layover in Boston is feasible. If you’re flying to the US from a different continent, ask to come a day early to help adjust to the time difference. Stay in communication with the committee but don’t minimize unnecessary emails and don’t run numerous times/dates by them - just make sure to be there by the time they want you there.

Ideally, someone from the department, likely a member of their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, will reach out to ask if you need accommodations. If they don’t (and this is a faux pas on their part and potentially a red flag), ask for them. If you need time to pump, make sure there is time allotted on your schedule. If you need elevator access, ask them to arrange this for you. If you have dietary requirements, let them know so that they don’t take you to eat somewhere inappropriate.

In my experience, there are two kinds of campus visits. The first (common at R1s) will involve one-on-one meetings with faculty members, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner with different faculty members and students. The number of meetings can vary. At one interview, I had one such meeting. At another, I had 16. This kind of campus visit, where you are shuttled from office to office and everything is scheduled back to back, is a hustle and it’s exhausting. But it’s important to maintain energy and enthusiasm throughout the day. Don’t complain (as I have heard candidates do…) that you are tired. In fact, avoid saying anything remotely negative. You have 24-48 hours with these folks, so make sure you leave a positive impression. They are all making time out of their own schedules to meet with you.

The second kind of campus visit (perhaps more commons at SLACs and private institutions) will involve one collective meeting with the faculty and/or search committee. This is much less daunting that it sounds and has its advantages; everyone hears what you have to say and it can feel more like an organic, natural conversation. It also means you don’t have 30 minutes alone with someone with whom you potentially have zero overlap (though in these cases, it’s normally easy to find common ground). The downside is that it means less time with people one-on-one, and therefore less time to really connect with anyone.

The department may ask if you’d like them to schedule meetings with faculty members from other departments. Take them up on this. Look at other departments to find who might be a great colleague or collaborator. This will show you’re thinking about connections across campus, and you’ll get an outsider’s opinion on the department you’re interviewing in. Additionally, it also provides an opportunity for you to meet with other faculty of color, for instance, if this is a concern for you. If you want to visit particular spaces on campus - libraries, GIS labs, research centers and institute - ask. They will be more than happy to show off their resources.

You’ll get your schedule around 4-7 days before your visit, maybe less. If they have not given you 30 minutes in your schedule ahead of your talk to prepare, ask them to add it in. Your schedule may include a meeting with the Dean or Associate Dean of faculty, so read up on them and make sure to have a list of questions for them.

Preparing for the Campus Visit

You should prepare and do your homework on the department and faculty members. I usually try to read at least one article by each faculty member to get a sense of their work. I read everything I can on the department and institution (look for reports on diversity, faculty surveys, departmental strategic plans etc.) I also go back to read and re-read my application materials and the job ad to make sure I have all that information fresh in my mind.

You must practice your talk and time yourself. This is so incredibly important. Talks are typically 45 minutes plus time for Q&A. (You may be asked to talk about teaching briefly at the end - get clarity on this). Practice your talk with fellow Ph.D. students, advisors, faculty members and friends. The full dress rehearsal. Ask seasoned faculty and faculty with more recent experience to give feedback. Do a mock Q&A and have your colleagues ask you some questions. Once you have a polished talk, try to get a few practice runs in before to make sure you don’t go over time - the cardinal sin. Everyone in the department is putting aside time to see your talk. Be courteous of their time.

When choosing what to wear, my general rule is that, regardless of the norm-core culture that pervades academia, you should always be the smartest dressed person in the room. If you feel overdressed upon arrival, you can remove your jacket, roll up your sleeves and maybe lose the tie. If you are underdressed, well - that’s on you.

No jeans, ever (though I will wear a smart, plain black pair to dinner and breakfast). No short sleeve shirts, my dudes. No open toe shoes. No clogs (do not interpret this as a personal vendetta against clogs, I’m a huge fan). Jewelry should be simple, and make-up minimal. For me, this means a suit and blouse, and if necessary a wool coat (make sure to pack suitable footwear if rain/show are likely). I typically go for the following:

Day 1 (dinner): silk blouse; black jeans or pants; smart shoes/boots.
Day 2 (the big day); suit jacket and pants; blouse/shirt; brogues or loafers.
Day 3: (breakfast): cashmere sweater (a little more casual); black jeans or pants; smart shoes/boots.

Be aware of disciplinary norms. Anthropology or English, for example, might be more relaxed. Political Science and Economics will undoubtedly be suited and booted. This might all sound kind of archaic, but universities are sometimes. And getting the job is more important than making some kind of statement or political commentary with your choice of footwear.

Pack everything into a carry on. Do not check a bag as this may contribute to delays. You really do not want to lose your bag and your suit etc., and equally you don’t want the faculty member tasked with picking you up to have to wait a long time for you to return from baggage claim.

During the Campus Visit

I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of manners and etiquette on the campus visit. People will be judging you not only in terms of your scholarship, but how you treat others. They want to know that you a collegial person who they can imagine working with into the foreseeable future. So be nice. Be genuine. Don’t talk over anyone. Be open and considerate of questions asked of you, rather than defensive. Don’t treat anyone differently because of their rank or role in the department. This sounds extremely obvious, but you’d be surprised by the number of people that assume only the search committee, chair and dean matter. Maybe this is unconscious bias, maybe not. Either way, it is extremely noticeable and deeply offensive. (Yes I have been on the receiving end of this).

Be good to the students, whether undergraduate or graduate. Departments (the kind we want to work in, anyway) care about what their students think. Ask them about the classes they like or want, the books they’re reading, their research. Ask about campus culture. Engage with them as you would any other colleague.

At dinner, don’t order the most expensive item on the menu, nor the cheapest. Imagine you’re on a first date. Try not to order anything messy. Spaghetti is to be avoided at all costs. You don’t want to order anything that makes it difficult to talk in between bites (and you will be talking, a lot). If everyone is drinking wine and they offer you a glass, either accept, drink slowly and perhaps don’t finish it (be wary of jet lag and how alcohol effects you) or politely decline. You do not need to explain why you don’t want a drink, or do not drink. (See this twitter for people’s feelings on campus visit dinners and know you are not alone).

A couple of pro tips: wear comfortable shoes, as you’ll likely do a lot of walking. If there may be snow or rain, pack an umbrella, a raincoat and appropriate footwear. For those in California and other season-less places, this may mean borrowing some clothes from your fellow Ph.D. students who hail from the Northeast (thank you, Adina Matisoff). Since you’ll be interviewing during breakfast, lunch and dinner (don’t let the social context fool you), you likely won’t get to eat very much so keep energy bars or a bag of nuts in your bag. Bring a water bottle - especially if interviewing at high elevations (no joke) and/or battling jet lag.

See this great Twitter thread on questions to ask during your visit:

In 2 days I leave for a 2.5-day TT job interview. I have my basics, I’m polishing my job talk, got a list of Qs I wanna ask. But I could use more.

Faculty who’ve served on search committees, what’re suggestions for great TT job questions?

Bonus pts for non-obvious stuff. pic.twitter.com/NvGshZ8jeX

— Mike MacFerrin, Glaciologist (@IceSheetMike) January 6, 2020

After the Campus Visit

If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to send thank you emails to the faculty and staff whom you met with one-on-one or had some kind of personal connection with. This includes the dean. Emails should do two things: one, thank them for the opportunity to interview and for organizing your visit (this is a hugely time consuming endeavor for everyone involved); and two, reiterate that you remain interested in the position (even if you are not 100% sure yet if the job is right for you, or you are waiting to hear back from your dream institution, an offer in hand can be leverage and you should keep your options open). Preferably these emails are tailored to each person (i.e. thanking them for the campus tour they gave you, referring to a conversation you had), but ultimately should be short and concise.

Do not ignore the staff. They run the show and deserve recognition. Departments will pay attention to how you treat their staff and students. And if this is potentially the start of a new job, you want to be on good terms with them.

If I have missed anything, please add your comments below or post your questions and I’ll do my best to address them.

Other resources:

The Chronicle of Higher Education “A Guide to Campus Interviews”

The Professor Is In “Asking to Speak to Other Faculty of Color on a Campus Visit”

The Professor Is In "The Campus Visit"

The Professor Is In “Quick and Painless Academic Job Search Guide”

rejuvenating Bengaluru's "lakes"

Talk to anyone familiar with Bengaluru, and they will likely mention that the city was once called ‘The City of Lakes’, a reference to the numerous water bodies across the urban landscape. These lakes gained the attention of the city’s residents and the international community in 2017, when foam created by phosphate-based detergent in Bellandur Lake, in southeast Bengaluru caught on fire. The dystopian, seemingly impossible image of burning lakes generated much outrage and calls for action. NGOs and Resident Welfare Associations have subsequently undertaken projects across the city to rejuvenate and revitalize some of the lakes across the city.

But Bengaluru has never been a city of ‘lakes’, not really. A more appropriate moniker would be city of ‘tanks’: interconnected man-made water bodies that have for centuries provided a means to store rainwater, and therefore a water supply. Bengaluru sits some 1800 feet above sea level, meaning that storing water has always been essential for the city’s viability. Tanks have played an important historic role in South India, especially the state of Karnataka, in which Bengaluru is situated. Rather than relics of a foregone pastoral idyll, these tanks emerged alongside the city, growing with it over time. The earliest tanks in the city date to the 11th century and for centuries were managed by local communities as a kind of commons.

degradation

Under British rule, however, tanks fell out of favor as dams offered a way to both generate energy and ensure water supply. At the same time, residents transitioned from using tanks and switched to private individual wells. These in turn compromised the tanks by depleting groundwater. Because of these two shifts, tanks that once operated like commons and were maintained by the local community came to be neglected. Coupled with rapid urbanization that outpaced the ability of the city to supply networked waste systems and sewage treatment plans, the tanks were slowly polluted by the city’s accumulating waste. The tanks are connected, meaning that water from one flows into others. Perhaps paying the highest price are the tanks at the end of these ‘series’, such as Varthur Lake. Residents not much older than thirty today can remember throwing coins in the water as a child, and diving down through clear waters to retrieve them. But today the lake’s waters are opaque and toxic. In recent years, the lake experienced a major fish death, and some residents and environmentalists consider it ‘dead’.

Thank you to Sachin Rathod and Rohan D’Souza for sharing their insights and city with me.

The Academic Job Market: Preparing for Phone Interviews

When I was on the job market as a PhD candidate at UCLA, I was extremely fortunate to learn from the advice of other graduate students and faculty members : Judy Carney, Abigail Cooke, Colin Gleason, Juan Herrera, Helga Leitner, Shaina Potts and Eric Sheppard - thank you all! I also read a ton of material online and spoke to friends who had previously interviewed and/or landed jobs.

Recently, several friends have reached out to ask about preparing for the job market and I’ve found myself giving the same advice over and over. I thought it would make sense to offer some of my insights in one place. I am by no means an expert on the job market. However, I have done my fair share of Skype/zoom/phone interviews and collected what I found to be really useful information over the past few years. So I will be offering my two cents, for what it’s worth.

In this post, I’ll focus on phone/Skype interviews. I’ll discuss campus visits in a forthcoming post. If you have any questions and/or suggestions, please comment below!

Congratulations, you’ve been invited for a phone interview!

What now? Interviews are typically 20-30 minutes and you can expect to be asked about 5-7 questions. You are probably one of 16-20 candidates being interviewed, and interviews are often conducted in a short span of time, usually back to back. This is to say that the search committee will be speeding through with no time for hiccups, and they will probably be tired by the end of the day so be courteous. If they ask you to keep your answers to 1-2 minutes, do so. Do not expect extra time if you experience problems getting connected. I once lost ten minutes to awful UCLA wifi. FYI: They may also ask to record you.

Setting up for the interview
Make sure you agree to a time that works for you and which you feel comfortable with. You don’t have to agree to the first time offered. Hopefully, they will be using zoom or Skype (it’s much easier to relate to/read people and express enthusiasm than over the phone) so check everything works: your speakers, your microphone, your set up. You’ll want to make sure you’re not sitting in front of anything too busy or distracting. Find a room that is guaranteed to be quiet and adjust the lighting and height of the camera as needed. Obviously wear something appropriate (this goes also for phone interviews, as it helps put you in the right frame of mind) and put a Do Not Disturb sign on your door!

Preparing for the interview
At this stage you can expect mainly generic questions about your research, teaching and future plans as well as your interest in the job, though you may get 1-2 follow up questions. Most questions are easy to anticipate and you should spend some time developing responses. Post it notes worked well for me, as you can keep these around your laptop during the interview. I include a list of questions I have been asked previously at the end of this post.

Dr. Karen Kelsey writes a highly useful blog that I recommend and everyone seems to refer to these days, called The Professor Is In. Her book is also very useful and in my opinion worth purchasing, but make sure to always check disciplinary norms. She recommends developing your “platform” : the 4 - 5 key aspects of your academic profile (research agenda, teaching philosophy, methodology) you want to emphasize - and referring back to these as you answer the questions. You should think about how these relate to the specifics of the job post and the department.

Do your homework: find out who is on the search committee and who will be on the call. (I have in the past contacted the search committee chair prior to submitting my application to express interest and ask to talk more about the position on the phone. This is a good way to find out who is on the committee and to get a better sense of who they envision filling the position). Have the names of the committee members and their area of expertise in front of you.

Identify 3 reasons you are excited about this position. Show that you’ve done your research and talk to specific aspects of the department/institution. That you want to live near the mountains is (understandable but) irrelevant. Perhaps there is a campus initiative you’re interested in, great resources for your research, or opportunities for mentorship.

Have a pen and paper ready - they may ask compound questions, so you want to make sure to answer all parts. It’s okay to write down questions, even if you are on Skype, and it’s okay to take your time to think about them before responding.

If you are on the phone/without video, make sure to speak so that it is clear when you have finished talking (lower your tone at the end of your sentence). If you’re using zoom - smile! Be enthusiastic! You’re excited about the job, right?

Lastly, ALWAYS have questions ready for them at the end, as they will make time for this. Have a list of 3-4. These are important as they reflect on how you are approaching the job. No questions about salary/start up, teaching releases or sabbatical. That’s for the campus visit.

Questions should show you’ve done some background research into the department/university and allow them to expand on something. High risk questions are yes/no questions. For example, if you ask if there are certain opportunities, programs or resources and there are not, they may be embarrassed and you will be too. Ask them about an existing program or initiative they have recently launched, for example. Read up on campus news relating to the department or college and show awareness of recent events/changes in governance/new hires etc. And keep your notes in case you land a campus visit.

Some questions you might ask:

• Can you tell me about the department’s trajectory for the next few years? How does this hire fit within those plans?

• What kind of students does your program attract? What do they do after graduation?

• Can you tell me more about [department/campus initiative]?

After the interview

This part isn’t fun. Either you’ll get an email inviting you for a campus visit (within maybe 1-3 weeks) or you likely won’t hear anything. Departments like to keep it open until a candidate has signed a contract, in case none of the campus interviews go well and they need to go back to their short list. In 2018, I applied for a job at UC Irvine and didn’t get a rejection until 6 months later - telling me they had over 1000 applicants. That was an unusual case (the job was broadly defined in an interdisciplinary department) but a reminder that the job search can be soul crushing. Rejection is probably the norm in academia, but with job interviews it’s higher stakes and hard not to feel deflated sometimes. And in this case, it’s really not you - it’s them. So in the meantime, while you wait for an email that may or may not ever come, keep applying for jobs and keep writing. The best thing you can do while on the market is work on a publication to get out. It could make a big difference later on.

Below is a list of questions I myself or my friends have been asked:

• Why did you apply here?

• How does your research fit the position, and how will you contribute to the department?

• Can you tell us about your research and your main findings?

• You are coming from [major city/R1 institution]. Why would you want to come here [rural/small town/R2]?

• How would you perform campus service?

• Can you tell us 2-3 reasons that you were interested in the position?

• Can you tell us about how you see yourself fitting in this department, and what your contributions would be?

• Can you tell us about a book or article that was particularly influential on your development as. ?

Teaching

• Can you describe your dream undergraduate course and dream graduate course to teach?

• Tell us about your approach to teaching.

• What is your teaching philosophy?

• How would you teach our introductory course? (If the job ad states that you will be expected to teach a class, you should be ready to talk about it.)

• What classes would you like to teach? (Look at classes on the books but be wary of classes that may “belong” to a particular faculty member.)

• Which existing classes would you teach, and which would you like to design?
  (Make sure to read their syllabus and have a list ready; describe one new class you’d like to teach - title, aims, some themes/readings, modes of assessment)

• How would you mentor and support underrepresented groups?

• How do you support diversity?

Research

• Can you tell us about your research agenda and trajectory?

• Can you tell us about your Ph.D. research?

• What is the significance of your research beyond [your case study/field site]?

• What's your future research plan? (Assuming you are early career, best to talk through your fieldwork plans and plans for publication up to tenure)

• Are you aiming to publish articles, or do you have plans for a book? (Be ready to specific which journals or publisher)

• We are a policy orientated school. How would you engage with local communities?

• Do you have any questions for us?

Film review: Nadi Vahate

Nadi Vahate (River Flows) 2017

During my visit to Bengaluru earlier this year, I was able to catch Marathi director Sandeep Sawant’s latest film Nadi Vahate (River Flows) at the Bangalore International Centre. The film explores themes of speculation, encroachment and urban development; rural livelihoods; commons and private property rights; and the relationship between communities and the natural resources upon which their lives depend. Set in a small village bordering the River Mandovi, which flows 48 miles through Karnataka and Goa, the film charts “a journey of people's constructive resistance to save their river and to become self sufficient”. When residents hear of plots of land being sold (which they later confirm via records obtained from the Land Office), they quickly become suspicious.

The specter of developers haunt the film and characters throughout. Well into the 115 minutes running time, the audience has still only been given a glimpse of their presence: speeding, white SUVs tear through the village, prophesy of the disruption their investments will bring. Other characters include the town mayor - a man who preaches good intentions and good will, while at the same time acting as an informal land broker, coordinating with the property developer with high plans for the area. In one scene, an argument erupts over the question of land sales, the details of which are deliberately kept from other residents. When one resident in opposition to the developer’s plans asks what the sold land will be used for, another resident is outraged.

While a fictitious story, the film resonates with inter-state water politics in contemporary South India. Karnataka (where Bengaluru is situated) and Goa (for whom the River Mandovi is said to be a ‘lifeline’) came to head over Karnataka’s proposal to divert water from the river to the Malaprabha River Basin in Karnataka and increase water supply. The proposed plan was shot down by the Supreme Court.

The film is driven in part by Sawant’s own imagination of, and ethico-political commitment to sustainable development, which he envisions as possible only through small and Indigenous businesses, self-determination, self sufficiency, and the defense of small villages and their water resources.

The film is an apt illustration of the relations of power and inequality that often coalescence around water and other resources, as well as the tensions between urban money and rural life. Notably, the film brings together current concerns over the impacts of land acquisition on local communities, and the cultural and ecological impacts wrought by land use change.

The film highlights the dissonance between individual private property rights and water, a resource which traverses such boundaries and serves multiple communities.

a monstroCITY and its hinterlands: the battle over water supply

I am currently in Bangalore, India to learn about the city’s water politics. It is currently the dry season; the city is water stressed and people are waiting for rain. But in the monsoon season, heavy rainfall brings flooding. The city is therefore characterized by a contradiction, suffering from both too little and too much water at various points in the year. In this way, it faces a similar situation as Jakarta, Mexico City and Sao Paulo, as well as many other Indian cities.

Yesterday afternoon, I attended a protest at Puttennachetty town hall, with researcher and Indian institute of Human Settlements fellow Sachin Rathod. Thirty or so activists and environmentalists gathered on the town hall steps to demonstrate against the Karnakata government’s plan to divert water from the Sharavati river stored in Linganamakki reservoir in Sharavati Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, in order to provide an additional and much needed water supply for Bangalore and its residents. Environmentalists and residents have argued that the water level of the reservoir is already low; indeed, data from the Karnakartha Disaster Monitoring Center show it to be at 19% of its full capacity as of July 10 of this year. Additionally, the district of Shivamogga itse;f, located about 10 km east of the Linganamakki reservoir, is thought to be in water crisis, after several consecutive years of drought conditions led to crop failures and drinking water shortages. Residents living on the outskirts of Shivamogga city have at times only received water every other day.

Sitting beneath a banner that read “Save the Sharavati”, people wrote postcards to be sent to the Karnakata government with various phrases contesting the project and its potential to cause environmental damage. These protestors are Bangalore residents themselves, having migrated to the city for greater economic opportunities, but are originally from towns and cities north of the city in the Sharavati Valley and river basin, including Shivamogga and Thirthahalli. They held signs with phrases such as “stop Sharavati diversion / it will cause eco destruction”, “planet before profit”, “no more projects like Yettinahole which killed Netravahti / we won’t allow it to happen”, “we can’t bear further atrocities”. One protestor arrived a little later with a brick taped to his head, holding a bag filled with water and impaled with nails. He caused a stir as he squeezed the bag so that the water came sloshing out onto the steps of the town hall.

The protest was centered around two ideas: first, that Bangalore cannot consume all available resources in its hinterlands (protestors describe the city as a “monstroCITY”, and their press release contests the treatment of coastal and highland areas as the city’s ‘colonies’); second, these activist groups argue that alternatives to water provision, such was rainwater harvesting, should be pursued rather than large-scale projects. The press release references a study by senior scientist TV Ramachandra, at the Indian Institute of Science.

I spoke with one activist from Thirthahalli, a community located south-east of the Sharavati Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. He described the diversion project as “unscientific” because it requires bringing water from the lower-elevation river valley to the city which sits at 2800 feet above sea level. He also said that they were concerned not only for human consumption and use of water, but also for the right to life of animals, such as the endangered lion tail Macaque who find refuge in one of their last remaining natural habitats: the Sharavati Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. Established in 1972 as a protected sanctuary, its 431 square kilometres of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests which harbor rich biodiversity.

My first impression, having only arrived in Bengaluru two days ago, is that environmental activism is more visible here than in Jakarta, a city I am far more familiar with. In Indonesia, Suharto stifled any form of grassroots organizing or protest and, while civil society has been able to flourish since the collapse of the New Order in 1998, it has not enjoyed much time to develop. India, meanwhile, has a rich history of environmentalism and a well-developed civil society.

Over the next few weeks, I will be exploring the politics of water in the city, meeting with activists, experts and residents. Following a period of fieldwork in Jakarta last month, I have several questions that I want to explore: Why are land and property prices unaffected by water crises? How do developers secure water resources for new properties and projects? What are the social and ecological costs as wetlands, and green space are converted to real estate developments? I’m excited to see the ways in which these questions may (or may not!) be relevant here, and what further questions my brief encounter with this city raises.