![Sample our Area Studies journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5922/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Area-Studies.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
This article interrogates the connections between caste and gig economy, and how these connections play out in the political actions by youth in the erstwhile mill-neighbourhoods in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat. It asks, how do the gig-economy workers from the lower castes navigate in the highly caste segregated urban spaces of Ahmedabad? What drives them to join their own caste collectives while looking for gig work in the city? The article explains through ethnographic inquiries that while the recent emergence of the gig economy provides the young jobseekers from the lower castes an escape route from the caste-based occupations in the rural, their caste identities are strategically masked and highlighted in informing their choices, political aspirations and economic anxieties while navigating in the urban. The unpredictable and uncertain nature of the contractual work consolidates caste and kinship networks to get work and information about available work in the urban gig economy. This in turn facilitates a renewed political activism of the youth in the urban neighbourhoods that strengthens caste politics in the region.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. All the interlocutors’ first names have been changed in the paper, and their surnames (caste-names) have been kept intact.
2. Caste is defined as a social framework of differentiation where the constituting units are marked by endogamy and the ascribed differences are maintained by ritualised socio-cultural practices. Sub-castes are often associated with hereditary occupational specialisation that are difficult to escape by the members in a caste-based economy.
3. The term ‘Dalit’ means broken and oppressed people and refers to former untouchable castes in India.
4. My doctoral fieldwork was conducted between 2015 and 2018.
5. Ambedkar B.R. “The Hindu Social Order”.
6. Thorat and Newman, Blocked by Caste
7. Deshpande, The Grammer of Caste
8. Classes in morning colleges usually start by six in the morning get over by noon. It is easier to attend morning college for Bharat so that he can start his delivery work from the afternoon.
9. Banerjee & Mehta, “Caste and Capital”.
Breman, The Making and Unmaking
Shani, Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism.
10. Harris-White, ‘On understanding markets’
‘India’s socially regulated economy.’ ‘Work and wellbeing in informal economies.’
11. Lalvani, “Workers fictive kinship”.
12. Raval, “Platform-Living: Theorizing life”.
13. Quien, A. “Mumbai’s Dabbawalla”.
14. Gray et. al., “The Crowd is a Collaborative Network”.
15. Tucker, Max Weber’s Verstehen.
16. De Neve, “We are all sondukarar ;(relatives)!”.
Parry,Ankalu. “Errant Wife: Sex, Marriage and Industry”.
17. Hart, K. (2000). “Kinship, Contract and Trust”.
18. Mauss, M. (2002). The gift: The form and reason for exchange
19. Ahmed et al., “Peer-to-peer in the Workplace”.
20. Surie, A., & Sharma, L. V. “Climate change, Agrarian distress”.
21. Surie, A., & Koduganti, J. The emerging nature of work in platform economy
22. Raval, N., & Pal, J. Making a‘Pro: “Professionalism”’.
23. Raval, Noopur Atul. “Platform-Living: Theorizing life, work”.
24. Surie, A., & Koduganti, J. “The emerging nature of work”.
25. Anwar, M. A., & Graham, M. “Between a rock and a hard place”.
Graham, M., & Anwar, M. “The global gig economy”.
Graham, et al., “The risks and rewards”.’
Van Doorn et al., “Migration and Migrant Labour”.
Wood et al., “Good gig, bad gig”.
26. Jodhka, S.S. and Newman, K. “In the name of globalisation”.
Thorat, Sukhadeo, and Negi Aryama. Reservation and private sector
Babu, D.S. and House, C. India’s Liberalisation and the Dalits.
27. Jeffrey et al., “A Useless Thing!”.
28. Still, C. Dalits in Neoliberal India
29. Srivastava, S. ‘Not Quite “Enterprising Subjects”’.
30. Fernandes, Leela. India’s New Middle Class
Gooptu, Nandini, ed. Enterprise culture
Mankekar, Purnima, and Akhil Gupta. “Intimate encounters: Affective labour“
Lukose, Ritty A. Liberalization’s children
Upadhya, Carol. Reengineering India: Work, capital, and class
31. Zabiliute, Emilija. “Wandering in a mall.
32. Lukose, Ritty A. Liberalization’s children
33. Gooptu, Nandini, ed. Enterprise culture
34. Jeffrey, C., Jeffery, P. and Jeffery, R. “A Useless Thing!,” 961.
35. Jeffrey, C., Jeffery. P.and Jeffery, R. “Degrees without freedom?”.
36. Berry, Sara. “Fathers work for their sons”.
Altbach, P. G. “Student politics”.
Nasr, S. V. R. “Students, Islam, and politics”.
Humayun, S., and T. Khalid. “Student politics”.
Sykes, K. “After the ‘“Raskol”’ feast.”
Obeng, S. G. “Doing politics on walls and doors”.
Matin-Asgari, A. “Iranian student opposition”.
Rhoads, R. A. Freedom’s web: Student activism.
37. Massey, Doreen. The spatial construction of youth cultures
38. Oni, Bankole. “Education and alternative avenues”
Levinson, Bradley et al. eds. The cultural production of the educated
Stambach, Amy. ‘“Too much studying makes me crazy.”’
Demerath, Peter. “The Cultural production”.
Jeffrey, C., et al., “A Useless Thing!”.
39. Michelutti, Lucia. ”‘We are Kshatriyas but we behave like Vaishyas’”.
40. Cloonan, M.and Street, J. “Rock the vote”.
Wyn, J.and White, R. “Negotiating social change”.
Furlong, A.and Cartmel, F. Young people and social change
41. Hyams, M. S. “Pay attention in class.”Kuftinec, S.A. “Cornerstone for rethinking.”Redhead, S. ed. Rave off: politics and devianceValentine, G.and Holloway, S. L. ‘Cyberkids?’Wallace, C. S. and Kovatcheva, S. Youth in societyPhilo, C. and Smith, F. “political geographies”.
42. Martin, G. “Conceptualizing cultural politics” Philo, C. and Smith, F. Guest editorial: political geographies McDowell, L. ‘Redundant masculinities? Employment change.’
43. Waghmore, S. Civility against caste.
44. Eriksen, T. “How can Global be Local?”.
45. Shah, G. “Introduction: Dalit Politics”.
46. Chhibber, P. K. Democracy without associations
47. Chandhoke, Neera. State and civil society
48. Gorringe, Hugo. Untouchable Citizens
49. Jaoul, N. “The making of a political stronghold”.
50. Jaoul, N. “The making of a political stronghold” 114.