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Muscular India: Masculinity, Mobility & The New Middle Class

by Michiel Baas
$15.90 Now $9.90 Save 38%
Muscular India: Masculinity, Mobility & The New Middle Class - Thryft
Muscular India: Masculinity, Mobility & The New Middle Class - Thryft

Indian gyms depict masculinity and social ascensions.

"Muscular India" offers an intimate anthropological look at how modern gyms are shaping not just bodies, but social identities in urban India. You might find this book compelling as it unpacks the aspirations and challenges faced by gym trainers juxtaposed with the country's evolving middle class. Through Baas's keen observations, the narrative unveils a unique intersection of fitness, culture, and the economy, revealing how efforts to 'upgrade' oneself can reflect broader societal shifts. It's a compelling exploration of a nation in transition, seen through the microcosm of its gyms and the people who frequent them.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Sale

Muscular India: Masculinity, Mobility & The New Middle Class

by Michiel Baas
$15.90 Now $9.90 Save 38%
ISBN: 9789389648218
Authors: Michiel Baas
Publisher: Westland
Date of Publication: 2020-01-01
Format: Hardcover
Related Collections: Personal Development, Sociology, Sports
Related Topics: Gender, Fitness, Personal Development, Social Issues
Goodreads rating: 3.52
(rated by 27 readers)

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Description

The gyms of urban ‘new India’ are intriguing spaces. While they cater largely to well-off clients, these shiny, modern institutions are also vehicles of upward mobility for the trainers and specialists who work there. As they learn English, ‘upgrade’ their dressing style and try to develop a deeper understanding of the lives of their upmarket customers, they break with an older kind of masculinity represented by the pehlwans in their akharas. Equally, the gym aspires to be a safe space for women—a break from the toxic masculinity they must deal with outside its walls. Yet, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Class barriers are less permeable than they appear. The use of bodily capital to breach them is more fraught with danger than one might anticipate. And the profession is riddled with pitfalls and contradictions. Michiel Baas has spent a decade studying gyms, trainers, and bodybuilders, and finds in them a new way to investigate India. He walks us through the homes and workspaces of these men—yes, they are almost all men—to bodybuilding competitions and also into their most intimate worlds of ambitions, desires, and struggles. An unusual study of an unusual subject, Baas unveils a fascinating world, hidden in plain sight.
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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Similar Reads

Indian gyms depict masculinity and social ascensions.

"Muscular India" offers an intimate anthropological look at how modern gyms are shaping not just bodies, but social identities in urban India. You might find this book compelling as it unpacks the aspirations and challenges faced by gym trainers juxtaposed with the country's evolving middle class. Through Baas's keen observations, the narrative unveils a unique intersection of fitness, culture, and the economy, revealing how efforts to 'upgrade' oneself can reflect broader societal shifts. It's a compelling exploration of a nation in transition, seen through the microcosm of its gyms and the people who frequent them.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.