Big Capital in an Unequal World: The Micropolitics of Wealth in Pakistan (Dislocations Book 29)

"Following the hidden lives of the global "1%", this book examines the networks, social practices, marriages, and machinations of the elite in Pakistan. In doing so, it reveals the daily, even mundane, ways in which elites contribute to and shape the inequality that characterizes the modern world. Operating in a rapidly developing economic environment, the experience of Pakistan's wealthiest and most powerful members contradicts widely held assumptions that economic growth is leading to increasingly impersonalized and globally standardized economic and political structures"-- Provided by publisher Inside the hidden lives of the global “1%”, this book examines the networks, social practices, marriages, and machinations of Pakistan's elite. Benefitting from rare access and keen analytical insight, Rosita Armytage's rich study reveals the daily, even mundane, ways in which elites contribute to and shape the inequality that characterizes the modern world. Operating in a rapidly developing economic environment, the experience of Pakistan's wealthiest and most powerful members contradicts widely held assumptions that economic growth is leading to increasingly impersonalized and globally standardized economic and political structures. Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 List of Abbreviations 10 Note on Anonymity 11 Introduction. Making Money in an Unequal and Unstable World 12 1. Middle-Class Woman in an Elite Man’s World 33 2. Creating and Protecting an Elite Class 56 3. Old Money, New Money 84 4. Making an Elite Family 107 5. The Elite Network 128 6. The Culture of Exemptions 147 Conclusion. What Pakistan’s Elite Reveals about Global Capitalism 165 References 186 Index 198