Domestic Goddesses

Dr Henrike Donner's research explores the interplay of gender, kinship and reproductive change in relation to class and post-liberalisation policies. Since 1995 she has conducted fieldwork in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, which has focused on the transformation of marriage and conjugal ideals, medicalised birth and maternal bodies, food consumption and the impact of privatised healthcare and schooling on middle-class lifestyles. Her work is concerned with socio-economic change as part of the process of globalisation and the way class is reproduced through institutions like marriage and the family and constituted through gendered, everyday practices. She has also published on urban space and fieldwork in the postcolonial city. Her ongoing research deals with the legacy of the militant Naxalite movement that emerged in urban West Bengal and is concerned with personal experiences of radical politics in the 1970s.

'All in all, Domestic Goddesses provides new insights into the effects of globalization on Indian society with its detailed analysis of changes in middle-class women's practices and domestic lives in Calcutta. As such Domestic Goddesses fills a lacuna and contributes significantly to the anthropology of South Asia.' Women's Studies 'For American scholars of global feminism, this book could be a very instructive read, and, as most of the papers published in this collection are written in an accessible style, they are very appropriate for classroom use. Women's Studies courses on global and transnational feminism would very much benefit from using primary materials such as the texts collected in this volume.' Women's Studies 'An original and ethnographically rich study of the urban family and of the roles women play as wives, mothers and home-makers in the creation and reproduction of a new Indian middle-class identity. It makes a significant contribution to current anthropological discussions of how kinship and marriage systems in developing societies are impacted by globalization and the rise of consumer-oriented economies.' Sylvia Vatuk, University of Illinois,Chicago, USA 'Domestic Goddesses is an informed and sensitive account of the intimate lives and concerns of middle class women as they negotiate modernity in Calcutta today. Donner's work on the "gendered city" makes an important contribution to the urban anthropology of South Asia and to understandings of motherhood as shaped by it.' Maya Unnithan, University of Sussex, UK 'This book is without any doubt a great contribution to current anthropological discussions on how globalization and consumer oriented economies change and influence the kinship and marriage systems, as well as on how the class hierarchies are produced and reproduced in the urban setting. It is a must read for any anthropologist or a student of anthropology concerned with the modernity in developing countries, globalization and kinship.' anropologi.info 'Overall, Domestic Goddesses stands out as a thoroughly researched work in urban anthropology which makes an important contribution to the current understanding of how globalization and consumer-oriented economies influence kinship and marriage systems in urban India. The lucid language and rich ethnography makes the work interesting and useful not only for specialists but also for a far wider readership.' Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and Pacific 'Donner makes a major contribution by identifying and establishing the domestic sphere as the key site of the remaking of the Indian middle-class in the contexts of globalization, post-liberalization and neo-liberal ideologies.' Suomen Antropologi 'Domestic Goddesses is detailed, nuanced, well-researched and with an abundance of references. It brings together theoretical positions and empirical topics that generally are discussed apart and thus Donner succeeds in her aim of challenging "simplistic assumptions". Most importantly, by combining two strands within social anthropology that generally are kept apart, namely urban anthropology and what can be termed an anthropology of the household, this monograph contributes new, and sometimes unexpected, insights to the anthropology of India.' Journal of International Women's Studies 'It will be a tragedy if this book is restricted to academicians. The consequences of globalisation have been analysed for heir subtle yet far-reaching influences, something we are not conscious of in our daily lives.' Economic & Political Weekly 'The book is rich with intimate details of women's social worlds and presents the complex intersections between class, gender and neoliberal reforms on middle class womanhood...Domestic Goddesses fills a substantial knowledge gap in relation to the everyday lives of middle-class women and how kinship is changing in a gloablising nation' The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 'Domestic Goddesses is a fascinating study, one which has managed to present socially complex issues of marriage, caste, class, religion and modernity in a manner which is accessible for those who may not be well versed in Indian culture. Each chapter presents a distinct argument for how globalisation has affected middle class women in Calcutta, and the rich examples drawn from years of interviews allows for a fl uid understanding, one which has grown with the economic changes which have occurred since the 1990s... Donner has produced a work of value, which contributes to the literature within the field, and will be of interest to those who wish to understand the widespread effects of globalisation on the individual women who make up India's growing middle class.' Journal of South Asian Development 'Donner gives us a closely argued and very rich ethnography of motherhood among middle-class families in Calcutta over several generations... Donner is especially good at describing the cultural constructions of work, of intimacy with children, and the importance of caesarean sections...' Anthropology in Action

• Introduction Mapping Locations, Developing Themes; Chapter 1 Middle-class Domesticities and Maternities; Chapter 2 Of Love, Marriage and Intimacy; Chapter 3 The Place of Birth; Chapter 4 Education and the Making of Middle-class Mothers; Chapter 5 Motherhood, Food and the Body; conclusion Conclusion;