Social Mobility in Kerala Modernity and Identity in Conflict

Author/creator Osella, Filippo Author
Other author Osella, Caroline Author
Format Electronic
Publication InfoLondon : Pluto Press Gordonsville : Macmillan [Distributor]
Description336 p. ill 08.600 x 05.300 in.
Supplemental ContentFull text available from Ebook Central - Academic Complete
Subjects

SeriesAnthropology, Culture and Society Ser.
Summary Annotation <div>The Izhavas are an ex-untouchable community in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Politically and economically weak, stigmatised as &#8216;toddy tappers&#8217; and &#8216;devil dancers&#8217;, and considered unapproachable by clean caste Hindus, a century ago Izhavas were associated with other manual-labouring untouchable castes. In recent decades they have sought to improve their position by accumulating economic, symbolic and cultural capital through employment, religion, politics, migration, marriage, education and have tried to assert their right to mobility, often in the face of opposition from their high status Christian and Nayar neighbours. This study examines how Izhavas, through repudiation of their nineteenth-century identity and search for mobility, have come into complex relationships with modernity, colonialism and globalisation. Filippo Osella and Caroline Osella highlight the complexities and contradictions of modern identity, both locally and globally. The authors&#8217; approach builds upon and goes beyond a south Asian focus, showing how the Izhavas represent the rise of formerly stigmatised groups who remain at the same time trapped by stereotype and material disadvantage. Absolute mobility, they argue, has not led to relative mobility within a society which remains stratified and prone to new forms of social exclusion.</div>
Access restrictionAvailable only to authorized users.
Technical detailsMode of access: World Wide Web
Genre/formElectronic books.
LCCN 00009109
ISBN9780745316949
ISBN0745316948 (Trade Cloth) Active Record
Standard identifier# 9780745316949
Stock number00314859

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