Uncommon Sense Season 1 Episode 7: Cities

Lonely? Mean? Hostile? Cities get a bad rap. But why? Sociologist Romit Chowdhury has lived in cities worldwide; from Kolkata to Rotterdam. He talks to Alexis and Rosie about the wonder of urban “enchantment” to be found in a stranger’s smile, our changing ideas of the “urban”, and why anonymity is not always in fact the enemy of civility and friendship in the city.

Plus: how did “walking the city” emerge as a revolutionary research method? And why is Romit so fascinated with public transport – from exploring auto-rickshaw drivers’ masculinity in Kolkata, to studying sexual violence on the busy trains of Tokyo.

Romit, Alexis and Rosie also share their pop culture tips for thinking differently about urban life – from Japanese cinema to award-winning novels that explode norms about bodies in the city.

Guest: Romit Chowdhury
Hosts: Rosie Hancock, Alexis Hieu Truong
Executive Producer: Alice Bloch
Sound Engineer: David Crackles
Music: Joe Gardner
Artwork: Erin Aniker

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