Social and Cultural Strategies of Class Formation in Coastal Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Despite India's long history of capitalist development and consequent precipitation of class structures, class has been a relatively under-studied topic in Indian sociology. The social and cultural aspects of class formation have been especially neglected. This paper attempts to fill this gap through a case study of the history and culture of a rural-urban dominant class, located in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Drawing on Bourdieu's practice theory, it focuses on actors' investment and consumption strategies which are aimed at the accumulation and monopolisation of social, cultural, symbolic and economic capital. Through such accumulation, and by converting one type of capital into another, actors are able to construct class boundaries, promote internal cohesion, and establish hegemony. The paper also addresses the caste/class question within this theoretical framework by showing how the construction of caste identity has been closely linked with class formation.