
The Indian Middle Class
Oxford India Short Introductions
OUP India (Publisher)
Published in December 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-19-946679-5 (ISBN)
Description
Who exactly are the middle classes in India? What role do they play in contemporary Indian politics and society, and what are their historical and cultural moorings? The authors of this volume argue that the middle class has largely been understood as an income/ economic category, but the term has a broader social and conceptual history, globally as well as in India.
To begin with, the middle class is not a homogeneous category but is shaped by specific colonial and post-colonial experiences and is differentiated by caste, ethnicity, region, religion, and gender locations. These socio-economic differentiations shape its politics and culture and become the basis of internal conflicts, contestations, and divergent political worldviews. The authors demonstrate how the middle class has acquired a certain legitimacy to speak on behalf of the society as a whole, despite its politics being inherently exclusionary, as it tries to protect its own interests. Further, perceived as an aspirational category, the middle class has a seductive charm for the lower classes, who struggle to shift to this ever elusive social location.
To begin with, the middle class is not a homogeneous category but is shaped by specific colonial and post-colonial experiences and is differentiated by caste, ethnicity, region, religion, and gender locations. These socio-economic differentiations shape its politics and culture and become the basis of internal conflicts, contestations, and divergent political worldviews. The authors demonstrate how the middle class has acquired a certain legitimacy to speak on behalf of the society as a whole, despite its politics being inherently exclusionary, as it tries to protect its own interests. Further, perceived as an aspirational category, the middle class has a seductive charm for the lower classes, who struggle to shift to this ever elusive social location.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Delhi
India
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 187 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
205 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-946679-5 (9780199466795)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Surinder S. Jodhka | Aseem Prakash
Indian Middle Class
E-Book
06/2016
1st Edition
OUP
€14.51
Available for download
Persons
Surinder S. Jodhka is Professor, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and Senior Affiliate Fellow at the Centre for Social Sciences and Humanities, New Delhi, India.
Aseem Prakash is Professor and Chairperson, School of Public Policy and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, India.
Aseem Prakash is Professor and Chairperson, School of Public Policy and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, India.
Author
, Professor, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
, Professor and Chairperson, School of Public Policy and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, India.
Content
Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. What Does It Mean to Be Middle-Class?; 2. The Formative Years; 3. The Age of Development and Nation-Building; 4. Transforming India, from Above; 5: The Contemporary Dynamics and Number Games; 6. Consuming Identities and Exclusionary Powers; 7. Diversities and Margins; Conclusion; References; Index