Dhobis of Delhi: An Urban Ethnography from the Margins, 1974-2023

by Subhadra Mitra Channa

Overview

Dhobis of Delhi: An Urban Ethnography from the Margins, 1974–2023 is a saga covering more than four decades of interactions with an 'untouchable' caste--the Dhobis (washermen and washerwomen), who are among Delhi's oldest inhabitants. It describes their ways of life, economy, livelihood, struggles, and adaptation to the city's changing demographic, cultural, and politico-economic profile. Utilizing an experiential perspective and a gendered and feminist approach, the author elaborates on the Dhobi identity, which is focused on their community (biradari), and discusses their struggles to be identified as skilled professionals at par with others, rejecting at the same time the political identity of being Dalit. Discarding their earlier subjugated sense of the self, the Dhobis are developing an emerging consciousness as democratic citizens, nurturing ambitions of a future where they will find acceptance as a community. To that end, the book also analyses how their marginalized caste-based occupation and skills ensure for them a livelihood and viability within the market economy. Highlighting the community's strategies and tactics of survival and resilience against all odds, Dhobis of Delhi is thus the story of a city viewed through the eyes of those who live on the lowest rung of its social hierarchy but whose contribution to the life of the city is essential, albeit invisible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198926221
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	06/04/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	651 KB

About the Author

Subhadra Mitra Channa retired as Professor of Anthropology from the University of Delhi in 2016 and has been honoured with the University's Distinguished Teacher Award. The recipient of many international fellowships, she has been a Charles Wallace Fellow, Queen's University, Belfast, UK (2000); Visiting Professor, Maison de Sciences l'Homme, Paris, France (2002); Fulbright Visiting Lecturer, Auburn University, USA (2003); and Visiting Professor, University of South Carolina, USA (2008-09). She has published more than eighty scholarly papers and ten books, specializing in gender, religion, environment, and identity studies. Channa is the recipient of the S.C. Roy Gold Medal from the Asiatic Society for Lifetime Achievement and has been on the executive committees of several international organizations. Presently the editor of Reviews in Anthropology (Taylor&Francis), she has also served as the editor of Indian Anthropologist and on the editorial boards of international journals.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Doing Urban Ethnography in the Present1. The Dhobis of Old Delhi: Narratives from the Margin about a Community, a River, and a City2. The Social World of the Dhobis3. Livelihood, Resources, and Strategies for Survival4. Living Life as a Dhobi (Man and Woman)5. Negotiating Power in the Realm of the Sacred6. The Political Realm7. Conclusion: Surviving in a Discriminatory World and the Future of the City