'Drinking, the gateway to globalisation' - How are young Indian women making sense of their participation in drinking cultures?

Abstract

The aim of the study was to understand the ways in which young Indian women are negotiating and managing their access to the Mumbai night time economy (M-NTE). Through ethnographic fieldwork, which consisted of participant observation and in-depth interviews of five female middle class young Indians (22-24 years) who participated in Mumbai's alcohol drinking cultures. The data gathered during fieldwork and from the interviews was analysed through a post-structuralist/ social constructionist framework and showed that access to these drinking cultures is linked to larger issues to social mobility with the middle class (es). Furthermore, I argue here that participation in the MNTE is an "impossible space", which can partially be managed through culturally specific strategies. In conclusion, the M-NTE, is not about getting intoxicated, unlike the
British night time economy (B-NTE), but is related to learning to identify alcohol with modernity and a global identity

Date of Award	2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Supervisor	Alison Mackiewicz (Supervisor) & Sarah Riley (Supervisor)