Built environment of community enterprise and culture against odds-the case of Kochi on the west coast of India

Purpose: This study aims to read ritual performances, built forms and cultural undertones of traumatic migration in the settlements of people at the periphery of mainstream history at Mattancherry in Kochi, India. Interactions between their culture, faith, location, ethnicity and community enterprise are explored. This study is essential in the context of negative social perceptions of internal migration and migrants. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is ethnography and includes interdisciplinary fieldwork of transect walks, participant observations, unstructured interviews and architectural documentation. Secondary references were community publications and scholarly journals. Findings: Constant resilient rebuilding was possible through shared identity and community enterprise. Community temples, monastic institutions, volunteer groups and emerging high-net-worth individuals contributed to nurturing this identity. The temple rituals encouraged an egalitarian outlook. Throughout the settlement’s existence, the centrality of the temple and its religious activities remained constant. Community cohesion and endogamous practices create a cultural island distinct from the general population. Community enterprise also meant contribution to prosperity as productive citizens in the region and beyond. Originality/value: Religion and shared history-based ethnic community enterprise for survival and prosperity postmigration are observed in this settlement. The conducive entrepreneurial atmosphere is set in its historical, cultural and religious context. This study can, therefore, provide insights for policymakers and academia about the interactions between culture, faith and history during the entrepreneurial process. The cultural context is explored as a backdrop of community enterprise posttraumatic migration, informing societal perceptions about migration and migrants.