Caste, Entrepreneurship and the Illusions of Tradition: Branding the Potters of Kolkata

(Paperback)

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This ethnographic study is an empirical exploration of caste through the story of Indian potters who have transformed caste into a marketable brand in the business of selling sculptures. To these contemporary potters, caste is in their blood, caste is about being a creative and independent artist, and caste is about business, as they engage in a competitive market to sell their artworks.

Caste, Entrepreneurship and the Illusions of Traditionis an ethnographic study of the potters of Kolkata's Kumartuli, an analysis of their lives and the related commodification and instrumentalisation of caste. This group of artisans turned artists do not display passive responses to colonial and capitalist encounters but engage actively with the modern and economic developments of society at large, redefining the concept of caste identity in the process. It suggests new academic direction for the study of modern India, and of caste in particular, through an empirically grounded portrayal of the synthesis of traditional categories and contemporary realities.

'Through a meticulous ethnographic study, this book offers an interesting account of how caste identity and the potters' craft of the Kumars of Kumartuli have survived in a competitive modern world of global capital. As there are not many serious academic studies on artisanal castes of Bengal, this book will be welcomed by scholars.' Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, Head, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, and Director, New Zealand India Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

'This ethnographically based study of the potter caste of Kolkata is a solid account that helps us understand how tradition adapts to globalization. It is also a loving account of Kolkata and its society.' Arild Engelsen Ruud, Professor of South Asia Studies, University of Oslo, Norway

Reviews

This book is an important addition to the ever-expanding literature on the modern avatars of caste. Based on a theoretically grounded analysis and rich collection of interviews, it provides valuable insights about the evolving relationship between tradition and modernity. The authors awareness about the subtle nuances of Bengali language and culture is truly impressive. Ayan Guha (2020) Caste, entrepreneurship and the illusions of tradition: branding the potters of Kolkata, Contemporary South Asia, DOI: 10.1080/09584935.2020.1843796

Author Bio

Geir Heierstad is research director of international studies at the Norwegian Institute of Urban and Regional Research, and former associate professor in South Asia studies at the Department of Cultural Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, Norway. Heierstad is co-author of Indiske utfordringer (Indian Challenges, 2014), and coeditor of The Politics of Caste in West Bengal (2016), Indias Democracies: Diversity, Co-optation, Resistance (2016) and Demokrati p indisk (Democracy Indian Style, 2010).