Gendered Space, Temporal Rhythms, and Informal Economy in an Urban Neighbourhood Market - A Visual Ethnography of Hulimavu Market, Bengaluru

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Abstract

This paper presents a multi-session, multi-zone visual ethnography of Hulimavu Market on Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru, conducted across two visits, an evening session on thirteenth February twenty twenty-six and a morning session on seventeenth February twenty twenty-six. Drawing on sixty-seven coded photographs, multiple video recordings, audio transcripts, and written reflexive notes collected by four researchers across four spatial zones, the study examines how gender structures the use, occupation, and experience of this urban neighbourhood market. The analysis reveals a consistent and layered pattern of spatial marginalisation: female vendors occupy ground-level, pavement-edge, and mobile-cart positions while formal shopfront retail is overwhelmingly male-operated, even where the consumer base is predominantly female. The gendering of the market is further shown to be temporal rather than fixed, shifting substantially between the male-dominated early-morning supply-chain phase and the female-dominated evening consumer phase. The market's ritual economy, organised around temple worship, flower garland production, and sacred threshold-marking, creates a circuit linking female labour, female consumption, and female devotion that runs across every zone. The study also documents the full penetration of digital payment infrastructure into the market's most informal commercial positions and engages directly with researcher positionality as a form of ethnographic knowledge. The study is grounded in Pink's reflexive visual ethnography framework and Zukin's analysis of urban commercial authenticity and spatial power.

Gendered Space, Temporal Rhythms, and Informal Economy in an Urban Neighbourhood Market - A Visual Ethnography of Hulimavu Market, Bengaluru

Introduction

Theoretical Framework

Urban Markets, Spatial Authenticity, and Gendered Space

Methodology

Zone Allocation and Spatial Coverage

Data Collection

Ethical Considerations

Limitations

Field Site

What the Space Is Called

Sacred Infrastructure and the Market's Embedded Geography

Findings

Spatial Marginalisation of Female Vendors

Labour, Ownership, and the Service Paradox

The Ritual Economy and Female Labour

Digital Payment Infrastructure in the Informal Economy

Female Mobility and the Road as Contested Space

Researcher Positionality as Ethnographic Data

Gendered Facilities - A Documented Gap

Discussion

Temporal Gendering and Domestic Time

Authenticity, Infrastructure, and the Limits of Digital Inclusion

Conclusion

Overview

The study examines the gendered organization of Hulimavu Market through visual ethnography, highlighting how female vendors occupy marginalized spaces compared to their male counterparts and how these dynamics shift throughout the day. It sheds light on the intersection of gender, space, and informal economy within an urban neighborhood context.

Key Points

1The market reveals a spatial marginalization based on gender, with female vendors in lower-status positions
2Temporal dynamics show a shift from male to female dominance in market roles throughout the day
3Digital payment systems have penetrated informal market positions
4Visual ethnography enables detailed documentation of gendered spatial dynamics
5The study contributes to understanding the relationship between gender and informal economies in urban settings.

Details

Authors: Rathish Rana R, Janani R., Varshika R.M., Navdeep Kaur, Dr Vijayalaya Srinivas T
Category: Social Sciences

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