The Trajectory of India’s Middle Class : Economy, Ethics and Etiquette

The Indian middle class has grown rapidly over recent years, and constitutes a significant proportion of the global workforce, as well as a substantial market for consumer goods, given India's status as one of the most populous countries in the world. However, the growth of India's middle class is not merely an economic phenomenon. This volume, containing nineteen essays, an editorial introduction, and a foreword by Lord Meghnad Desai, therefore examines the role of the Indian middle class in the country's economic development, as well as in social, cultural and political change. The Trajectory of India's Middle Class brings together diverse lines of thought on the relationship of the middle class with society, the economy and the state during the colonial, post-colonial and current eras. It investigates the middle class' complex role in political democracy and governance by examining how it interacts with the state, influences the market, and dominates political articulations and social relationships. The volume also focuses specifically on the social, political and economic articulation of the middle class with regard to historically marginalized social groups such as the Dalits, the tribal communities, and the religious minorities. This book will be of interest to economists, political scientists, sociologists, social anthropologists and historians, as well as to specialists in current affairs CONTENTS 5 LIST OF FIGURES, MAPS AND TABLES 9 ABBREVIATIONS 12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 14 FOREWORD 15 INTRODUCTION 19 PART 1 31 CHAPTER ONE 32 CHAPTER TWO 58 CHAPTER THREE 72 CHAPTER FOUR 81 PART 2 99 CHAPTER FIVE 100 CHAPTER SIX 113 CHAPTER SEVEN 133 CHAPTER EIGHT 154 PART 3 177 CHAPTER NINE 178 CHAPTER TEN 188 CHAPTER ELEVEN 202 CHAPTER TWELVE 216 PART 4 237 CHAPTER THIRTEEN 238 CHAPTER FOURTEEN 250 PART 5 265 CHAPTER FIFTEEN 266 CHAPTER SIXTEEN 282 PART 6 293 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 294 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 316 CHAPTER NINETEEN 341 GLOSSARY 365 CONTRIBUTORS 367 INDEX 369