narratives of three generations of urban middle-class - eTheses ...

An Ethnography of Bengali Marriage: Negotiating the Bhadralok
‘Distinction’:
Owing to the fragmented and heterogeneous nature of the middle-class, there were
ideological differences amongst Sunanda, Udayan and Manjir in terms of the different
meaning-making processes as to what constitutes an ideal form and practice of intimate
heterosexual coupling. Despite ideological differences at one level, the subjects were,
however, interestingly united in their world view at another level that conformed to urban
Bengali middle-class’ symbolic distinction and taste viz-a-viz other classes and
communities (Bourdieu, 1984). A nineteenth century colonial middle-class ideology
based on a patriarchal idealization of marriage that sought to infuse intimate spaces of
marriages with taste and refinement through adhatmikata or spirituality and antarikata or
heartfelt sincerity, was an attempt from both the couple’s sides at reinstating their social
distinction (Majumdar, 2000). The self’s distinction is maintained through the
construction of an ‘other’ who did not share the so called inherent tasteful judgements of
the progressive Bengali intellectual minds. These others were othered through the basis
of state (for instance, the pompous Punjabis of North India), community (for instance,
the business minded Marwaris or slanged by the Bengalis as Meroes), newly acquired
money (for instance, the noveau riche or the newly rich middle-class) and the more
obvious working class.
The new middle-class which is popularly perceived as the noveau riche product of
uncritical globalization is most often constructed as challengers to Bengali middle-class
heritage. Third generation Udayan critiques this new middle-class as “‘too
‘Bollywoodish’ without any sophisticated Bengali culture”; second generation Aparna
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