Book review: Amita Baviskar. 2020. Uncivil City: Ecology, Equity and the Commons in Delhi

Amita Baviskar. 2020. Uncivil City: Ecology, Equity and the Commons in Delhi. New Delhi: SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd. (with YODA Press, New Delhi). 300 p. Bibliography, figures, glossary, illustrations, index. ₹1,195 (hardback).

Book review: Brahma Prakash. 2019. Cultural Labour: Conceptualizing the ‘Folk Performance’ in India

Brahma Prakash. 2019. Cultural Labour: Conceptualizing the ‘Folk Performance’ in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. xvi + 332 pp. Bibliography, index. Rs 1195 (hardback).

Book review: Sudha Sitharaman and Anindita Chakrabarti, eds. 2020. Religion and Secularities: Reconfiguring Islam in Contemporary India

Sudha Sitharaman and Anindita Chakrabarti, eds. 2020. Religion and Secularities: Reconfiguring Islam in Contemporary India. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan. 240 pp. Rs. 795 (hardback).

Book review: Sujata Patel, ed. 2020. Exploring Sociabilities of Contemporary India: New Perspectives

Swargajyoti Gohain. 2020. Imagined Geographies in the Indo-Tibetan Borderlands: Culture, Politics, Place. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. 246 pp. Figures, bibliography, index. €98.99 (eBook).

Gold governance and goldsmithery: Economic sociology of an informal manufacturing sector in India

In India, gold’s uniqueness lies in its dual demand for ‘sacred’ ritual purposes as well as ‘profane’ economic security. As a scarce commodity, gold is continuously monitored and regulated by the state. This study investigates how communities associated with the craft and trade of gold jewellery cope with state regulations, an aspect that has largely gone undocumented in sociological literature. The article traces the transformation of the goldsmithing sector in post-independence India. The repeal of the Gold Control Act 1968 in 1990 and high demand during the post-liberalisation period gave a tremendous fillip to the gold jewellery sector. The study captures the occupational recasting as a new community of goldsmiths emerged during this period replacing the traditional goldsmithing castes. It contributes to the under-studied field of goldsmithing in India providing an ethnographic account of a triadic relationship between an informal manufacturing sector, state regulation and a self-organised workforce based on regional ties and village networks.

I: COVID-19 pandemic and the politics of risk: Perspectives on science, state and society in India

Health behaviour of the people is said to be shaped by market forces, scientific or religious institutions or the state. It is pertinent to examine the dominant institutions that shape health cultures in any society, at any given point in time. While public health has not been a priority for the Indian state, the COVID-19 pandemic created an unmistakable opportunity for state regulation. It is the argument of this article that the state has been central to the framing of the COVID-19 pandemic and the identification of relevant interventions, such that the borderline between the political and medical is blurred. The influence of these institutional decisions on the health behaviour of the people indicates that compliant health behaviour is a symbolic resource for the state in societies like India, irrespective of whether the government actually delivers on its health care delivery.

II: Perspectives on the lockdown from Delhi’s night shelters

The COVID-19 lockdown was a frenetic period for inmates of the night shelters in Delhi. The difficulty in maintaining employment, social distancing, sanitation, safety measures and sanity that were regarded as critical factors could not be ensured. Yet, it was apparent that the residents’ experiences during this time varied, and their lives were differentially affected by the pandemic. The following piece presents glimpses from encounters with the residents of these night shelters that took place soon after the lockdown.

Book review: Sujata Patel, ed. 2020. Exploring Sociabilities of Contemporary India: New Perspectives

Sujata Patel, ed. 2020. Exploring Sociabilities of Contemporary India: New Perspectives. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan. 328 pp. Notes, index. Rs 945 (hardback)

Book review: Dwaipayan Banerjee. 2020. Enduring Cancer: Life, Death, and Diagnosis in Delhi

Dwaipayan Banerjee. 2020. Enduring Cancer: Life, Death, and Diagnosis in Delhi. Durham and London: Duke University Press. x + 224 pp. Notes, bibliography, index. $25.95 (eBook).