Next-door Strangers: Explaining ‘Neighbourliness’ between Hindus and Muslims in a Riot-affected City

Ethnic riots in India rarely lead to convictions of perpetrators and redress for victims. By implication, antagonisms prevail years after violence has ceased and victims often find themselves sharing everyday spaces with their attackers, although residential homophily is a preferred alternative for both groups. Rather than examine the reasons why people choose to segregate, this chapter uses cognitive maps to explore the survival of such neighbourhoods. Cognitive maps enable the subjective interpretation of what it means to be “neighbours”, from the vantage point of perpetrators and victims of ethnic riots residing together involuntarily.