Analysing Mall Culture vs Footpath Culture in Nagpur through the Lens of Cultural Studies: A Critical Perspective

This article critically examines Nagpur's mall and footpath cultures through the viewpoint of cultural studies. Nagpur provides a unique case of retail evolution, from the century-old bazaars of Itwari and Mahal to the dominance of Sitabuldi between 1980 and 2000, to the high streets of Sadar and West High Court Road, and now to new hubs confronting VR Mall, London Street and Manish Nagar. This study contends that malls and walkways are co-constituted creations of space that disclose deeper relations of class, caste, gender, and citizenship, despite popular discourse framing them as opposites of modernity vs tradition. The article reads mall and footpath as cultural texts, drawing on Stuart Hall's theory of representation, Michel de Certeau's strategies and tactics, Henri Lefebvre's production of space, Raymond Williams' concept of culture as ordinary and his framework of dominant, residual, and emergent cultures, and Appadurai's analysis of locality and global flows. Empress City, Eternity, and VR Malls provide as examples of mall culture, which is analysed as a regulated, air-conditioned non-place that offers spectacle, set prices, and relative gendered safety while limiting entry through cultural capital, dress requirements, and surveillance. Itwari, Sitabuldi, Sadar, Dharampeth, and Variety Square's footpath culture is interpreted as a lived space where social interaction, bargaining, and subaltern strategies sustain livelihoods; yet, pedestrian space is seriously endangered because of missing footpaths, encroachments, and selective enforcement. The article highlights the conflict between the right to walk and the right to a livelihood, contending that envisioning an inclusive right to the city is more important for Nagpur's future than replacing footpaths with malls.