Holston has authored and edited several foundational texts in urban anthropology: James Holston's Insurgent Citizenship
: This theory describes how marginalized urban residents—particularly the poor in the global South—engage in "counter-politics" to claim rights. By building their own homes and neighborhoods on "illegalized" land, these residents transform themselves into "contributor-citizens" who demand inclusion in the formal legal city. jamesholston
Holston’s scholarship focuses on the as a strategic site for the emergence and erosion of citizenship. He is best known for two influential concepts: Holston has authored and edited several foundational texts