{"product_id":"dhobis-of-delhi-subhadra-mitra-channa-9780198926207","title":"Dhobis of Delhi: An Urban Ethnography from the Margins, 1974-2023","description":"\u003cem\u003eDhobis of Delhi: An Urban Ethnography from the Margins, 1974-2023\u003c\/em\u003e is a saga covering more than four decades of interactions with an 'untouchable' caste--the \u003cem\u003eDhobis\u003c\/em\u003e (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 \u003cem\u003eDhobi\u003c\/em\u003e identity, which is focused on their community (\u003cem\u003ebiradari\u003c\/em\u003e), 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 \u003cem\u003eDhobis\u003c\/em\u003e 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, \u003cem\u003eDhobis of Delhi\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Subhadra Mitra Channa\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0198926200\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780198926207\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/30\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.01lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.63d","brand":"Subhadra Mitra Channa","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47419019297023,"sku":"9780198926207","price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_2991084b-47fc-4a11-a46f-c27fb1c0dc97.jpg?v=1761508945","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/dhobis-of-delhi-subhadra-mitra-channa-9780198926207","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}