09502386.2022.pdf (1.85 MB)
Cultural capital and constrained agency in debt-migration for construction work in India
Version 2 2023-06-12, 07:44
Version 1 2023-06-10, 02:54
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 07:44 authored by Priya DeshingkarPriya DeshingkarDebt-migration is endemic in construction work in India, where exploitative social relations are an integral part of businesses’ capital accumulation model that can entrap migrants in forced labour and perpetual indebtedness. Drawing on concepts of cultural capital, ‘constrained agency’, and qualitative interviews with migrants and their wives, this study examines the embodied and material practices that migrants in Telangana use to challenge power hierarchies and embark on different life trajectories. The paper draws out the gendered differences in cultural capital and agential strategies that migrants use to place themselves and their families on an upwardly mobile path. Although still in debt, many migrants had succeeded in buying land, investing in farming, marrying their daughters, releasing themselves from moneylenders, and educating their children privately. A few had transitioned to working and living more permanently in the city of Hyderabad. This research sheds new light on how constrained agency and the use of cultural capital intersects with gender, ethnicity, and caste. It also shows that while the situations of both those who continue to circulate and those who settle in the city remain precarious, small incremental changes can add up to a significant shift in social and economic circumstances.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Cultural StudiesISSN
0950-2386Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Page range
1-21Department affiliated with
- Geography Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2022-03-15First Open Access (FOA) Date
2022-03-15First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2022-03-15Usage metrics
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