‘The Spirit of the House is Still There’: Memory, Identity, and Resistance at 18/76A Dover Lane

Abstract

Urban spaces in Kolkata, moulded by colonial history and modern urbanisation, face relentless pressures of commodification that endanger the cultural and personal memory of its residents and communities. Shuktara Lal’s urban ethnographic narrative “18/76A Dover Lane” in People Called Kolkata, curated by Kamalika Bose, exemplifies how such spaces can be preserved and repurposed to uphold cultural and historical significance. This study explores the transformation of 18/76A Dover Lane into The Zs’ Precinct through the lens of Henri Lefebvre’s ‘lived space’, Edward Soja’s ‘Thirdspace’, Michel de Certeau’s ‘tactics’, and Gaston Bachelard’s ‘poetics of space’. I argue that the sisters’ adaptive reuse of their ancestral home exemplifies Lefebvre’s notion of space as an active social product, showing how the space is imbued with personal memories and cultural identity, thereby resisting the commodification typically associated with urban redevelopment. Though this process, the house becomes a ‘lived space’ that embodies personal narratives and social relations. The decision to transform a private residence into a cultural venue aligns with Soja’s concept of ‘Thirdspace’, a realm where public and private, historical and contemporary, intersect to produce a hybrid space. This convergence creates a space that goes beyond preserving memory; it integrates these memories into the larger urban fabric, forming a new, multifaceted environment that reflects both continuity and change. De Certeau’s concept of ‘tactics’ demonstrates how preserving the structure, repurposing with cultural meaning, retaining artefacts, and thoughtful restoration, subtly resist dominant urban commodification ‘strategies,’ ensuring cultural continuity. Bachelard’s ideas of the emotional resonance of buildings underscore the house’s transformation; it retained its psychological and imaginative essence despite public repurposing. This case demonstrates the potential of adaptive reuse as a strategy for sustainable urban development, inviting consideration of community-led cultural preservation in global urban planning.