Patterns of middle class consumption in India and China / edited by Christophe Jaffrelot and Peter van der Veer.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Jaffrelot, Christophe.

Veer, Peter van der.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Middle class--India.

Middle class.

Consumer behavior.

India.

Middle class--China.

China.

Consumer behavior--India.

Consumer behavior--China.

Physical Description:

300 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles : SAGE, 2008.

Summary:

Patterns of Middle Class Consumption in India and China explores the complex history and sociology of the middle class from a comparative perspective. It has papers written by sociologists, anthropologists and political scientists rather than economists, so the emphasis is on cultural shifts rather than economic statistics. The major contribution of this volume is that these two emerging powers of Asia are not, as is usual, compared to the West, but with each other. Considering that these two societies have so much in common in scale, civilization history and as emerging economies, the book is timely.

The focus of the book is on the social and political implications of the new consumption patterns among the middle classes of India and China in the context of economic growth, liberalization of markets and globalization. Reflecting upon and critically engaging with the traditional sociological notions on which definitions of the middle class have been based, the book analyzes the intermingling of these notions with new attitudes in the wake of the consumer revolution. More specifically, an entire gamut of aspects of consumer culture have been explored-tourism, leisure activities and the entertainment industry (art, Karaoke and soap operas)-as well as the consumption of experiences through these. It is argued that these phenomena have particular Indian and Chinese incarnations, which need to be analyzed in a manner that does not privilege a limited western experience of globalization.

With its fresh insights and perspectives, the book will appeal to students of anthropology, sociology, political science, media studies and cultural studies. It will also be useful for market research professionals.

Contents:

2 'Why Should We Vote?': The Indian Middle Class and the Functioning of the World's Largest Democracy / Christophe Jaffrelot 35

3 Rewriting the Code: Software Professionals and the Reconstitution of Indian Middle Class Identity / Carol Upadhya 55

4 The Indian Corporate Hospitals: Touching Middle Class Lives / Bertrand Lefebvre 88

5 Chinese Middle Class: Reality or Illusion? / Xiaohong Zhou 110

6 Power of Knowledge: The Imaginary Formation of the Chinese Middle Stratum in an Era of Growth and Stability / Jean-Louis Rocca 127

7 A Requiem for Songpan, or Once More about China's Civilizing Mission / Pal Nyiri 140

8 History and Heritage Woven in the New Urban Fabric: The Changing Landscapes of Delhi's 'First City'. Or, Who Can Tell the Histories of Lado Sarai? / Anand V. Taneja 157

9 Eat, Drink and Sing, and Be Modern and Global: Food, Karaoke and 'Middle Class' Consumers in China / Xun Zhou 170

10 Transnational and Transcultural Circulation and Consumption of East Asian Television Drama / Chua Beng Huat 186

11 Sex, Television and the Middle Class in China / Jacqueline Elfick 207

12 Aspirational Weddings: The Bridal Magazine and the Canons of 'Decent Marriage' / Patricia Uberoi 230

13 Yeh Dil Maange More ... Television and Consumer Choices in a Global City / Shoma Munshi 263

14 Consuming Art in Middle Class China / Puay-peng Ho 277.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780761936237

0761936238

9788178297873

8178297876

OCLC:

191207227