A Global Town in Central Gujarat, India: Rural-Urban Connections and International Migration

Towns have been described as nodes of rural-urban mobility, while megacities have been described as hubs of international mobility. This paper uses the term ‘global town’ to describe a town as a hub of rural-urban and transnational migration. It draws attention to the connection between regional power dynamics, transnational migrants' ties with their home region, and urban transformation. Regionally-dominant groups can use a town to reproduce their rural power base, while less powerful communities can use a town to seek refuge from violence and marginalisation. These processes crucially affect the experiences of transnational migrants, who also participate in the transformation of the town when they ‘return home’ and buy property there, particularly after retirement. Our use of the term ‘global town’ is illustrated through a case study of Anand, Gujarat.