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Globalization on the Ground — Media and the Transformation of Culture, Class and Gender in India
Derne conducted two field studies in Dehra`A0Dun in the years 1991 and 2001, relying heavily on popular Hindi films, fan magazines, participant observation and interviews to collect data. The writer states that culture, structure and psyche are linked. The reader is made to understand the Indian social structure with its complex system of positions and rewards, which forms an important causal factor in globalisation and cultural change. The changing economic scenario has improved the position of the affluent. Those with good education and highly-valued English-speaking skills have risen`A0up the job and status ladder, as an increased number of highly paying jobs are being offered. Young`A0elite couples often have love marriages, nuclear families and the women hold good paying jobs. Hindi films portray the affluent as a`A0middle class and consolidate their position. Films increase consumerism among the elite and liberalisation of the economy facilitates the easy embracing of consumerist culture and the values attached to it. The study is really interesting as the writer uses films to highlight the impact of globalisation. In the 1970 and 1980 films, Amitabh Bachan was the angry young man, a working class individual fighting for justice without compromising on morals. In 1990s, the films focused on the lives of the consuming elite. Hit films like Dil To Pagal Hai, Kaho Na Pyar Hai`A0depicted an elite lifestyle. The Indian elite are the transnational middle class and Hindi films reinforce this idea. Derne forces the readers to rethink of class clearly distinguishing between the affluent transnational middle class and the locally-oriented middle class. The identity of the non-elite Indian remains unchanged. His Indianess and desires about gender and family are strongly based on the Indian culture. The ordinary Indian is the epitome of non-cosmopolitan identity attached to a set up of arranged marriages, joint family and gender arrangements where women are confined to household duties. The non-elite have limited economic opportunities and fail to achieve an affluent lifestyle. Cultural globalisation cannot take place unless economic and family arrangements are transformed. However, Derne suggests that "non-elite Indians accommodate new meanings introduced by cultural globalisation to obdurate structural realities they face". So, men enjoy the celebration of violence and aggression. The`A0access to`A0foreign pornography is a novel way of expressing male dominance. This further reinforces an oppressive gender culture where women are projected as objects of male interest and at times are in need of protection. The book is an excellent study of how globalisation has redefined class`A0and gender in India. Globalization on the`A0Ground is a must read for`A0students and teachers alike. It is an interesting and well-researched book covering all aspects of globalisation.
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IN
the ‘golden summer’ of 1991, India opened the doors of its economy
and over the years it has been transformed by globalisation. The
economic liberalisation has increased consumerism and created new job
oppurtunities. Generally, the effects of globalisation on the elite
English-speaking Indians is highlighted, but this book also studies the
impact of global economy on ordinary Indian lives, including women. This
book seeks to understand the effect of globalisation on culture, class
and gender arrangements.