Cultural Capital and Taste Distinctions in Urban India

We conduct ethnographic fieldwork documenting consumption preferences of 28 Indian women with different socioeconomic backgrounds in three different Indian cities. Women from patriarchal societies often occupy a lower position of power and status, resulting in lower symbolic capital, as compared to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAdvances in Consumer Research Vol. 45; pp. 618 - 619
Main Authors Ghoshal, Tanuka, Batra, Rishtee, Belk, Russell
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published Urbana Association for Consumer Research 01.01.2017
Subjects
Cities
Gender differences
Gender equity
Women
India
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Summary:We conduct ethnographic fieldwork documenting consumption preferences of 28 Indian women with different socioeconomic backgrounds in three different Indian cities. Women from patriarchal societies often occupy a lower position of power and status, resulting in lower symbolic capital, as compared to men. The gender gap index, a measure of gender disparity developed by the World Economic Forum, finds India ranked 101 out of 136 countries, while the gender ratio stood at a mere 940 women per 1000 men in 2015 as a result of unabated female feticide. In this research we offer the novel proposition that it is challenging for LCCs to build on their embodied cultural capital, primarily determined by their habitus, due to lack of empowerment. In this sense symbolic capital determines cultural capital, and symbolic domination determines taste, that conforms to community norms. We also find that while LCCs covet the acquisition of objectified cultural capital, and aspire to marry above their social standing, these do nothing to empower them.
ISSN:0098-9258