Mall As a Cultural Space: a Micro Ethnography of A
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MALL AS A CULTURAL SPACE: A MICRO ETHNOGRAPHY OF A SHOPPING MALL MA SOCIOLOGY Table of Contents Chapter No. Chapter Name Page No. 1. General Introduction 1-17 2. Review of literature 18-27 3. Methodology 28-32 4. Analysis and Interpretations 33-48 5. Conclusion and Findings 49-53 6. Bibliography 53-56 Abstract This qualitative study intends to get an in-depth understanding of the subjective interpretations concerning shopping malls. Malls have been able to place a strong foot in India. From just three malls in 2000, India has grown into a nation that harbours cities with huge number of malls. Malls ended up changing the face of the retail industry which makes a considerable contribution to the GDP of India. Malls are relevant and significant not only due to the role they play in economic advancement of the nation; but at the same time the affect they have on the individuals. Malls comprise the life world of the urban population, and it has become their way of life. Even with the growing familiarity with the concept of malls, it carries different meanings for different individuals. These meanings form the root of this study. The essence of this study is derived from the realising mall as an entity that has a subjective existence apart from the apparent material form. This subjective existence relies on the way varying individuals interact and engage in the cultural space provided by the mall. This cultural space and its interpretations from the perspectives of the individuals visiting/working in a mall is what this study entails. GENERAL INTRODUCTION Chapter I General Introduction We live in a network society and the world around us is getting smaller by day. The world is not only interconnected but the boundaries are fluid. The notion of development takes the form of economic growth or economic progress in this post-modern era. As a consequence of the intensified globalization which is deep rooted, the economy of India has been on a progressive path. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), India is one of the fastest-growing trillion- dollar economies in the world and ranks 6th with a nominal GDP of $2.61 trillion, on its way to become the 5th largest economy of the world. The easement in the trade policies leading to the Indian market to be open and accessible for trade with the world was a result of the new economic policy or LPG (Liberalization, Privatisation and Globalization) introduced in the 1991. This initiated the path towards economic development that our nation has been on since then. India owns the title of the 6th largest economy of the world as a result economic progress, which is informed by the development and technological advancement in various sectors-such as the Information and Communications sector, Health Sector, Service Sector, Retail sector and so on. All of these sectors played a major role ceasing the India’s position in the race of fastest growing economies of the world. The service sector or the tertiary sector is responsible for the largest chunk of the GDP pointing to economic growth. Out of the service sector, the Retail Industry has been one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries, it is also one of the most booming industries in India at present. The retailing in India has travelled through various phases. As per an article published on Aug, 2019 on Indiaretailing, “origins of retailing in India can be traced back to the emergence of kirana and mom & pop stores, but with Indian economy getting liberalized in - 1 - early 1990s, many indigenous franchise stores propped up. Many domestic players like Raymond, Bombay Dyeing etc. started to forward integrate from manufacturing to retailing thereby catering to a larger base of customers. In the backdrop of evolutionary times, retail outlets like Shoppers Stop, Planet M, Crosswords, Pantaloons etc. entered the market in the 1990s, followed by a few shopping malls, department stores and supermarkets. From early 90s to about 2005, shoots of organized retail started emerging in India. The year 2005 onwards, marked a phase of growth and stabilization where large corporates like Reliance, Aditya Birla, Godrej etc. entered and grew their retail business. Retail became the ‘buzzword’ and the industry to be in. A large number of International brands and retailers also entered India during this phase, many of them like Zara and H&M becoming extremely successful”. According to IBEF (India Brand Equity Foundation) the retail industry accounts for over 10 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and around 8 per cent of the employment. India is the world’s fifth-largest global destination in the retail space. The retail industry carries a lot of weight when it comes to the economic growth of India. An article published on Aug, 2019 on Indiaretailing, points out the major factors contributing or driving the growth of the Indian retail market as, Burgeoning Millennial population and changing attitude towards spending, Increasing women workforce, Growing wallet share and price trade-off, Changes in the policies of government favouring FDI, Growth of market, growth of malls and the role technology has played in transforming the retail space as we know it. - 2 - The retail industry grew drastically with the introduction of malls. The malls were the game changers of the retail industry and they ended up transforming the space of retail itself. The transition from traditional market places to the present experienced scenario has been very drastic. The idea of mall would not have come into existence without the need to make the traditional market place or in other words make shopping easier and more convenient. Mall is the manifestation of contemporary form of market place making the act of shopping easier. This foreign concept of mall was introduced in United States of America. The man who is universally credited to the title of father of shopping mall is Victor David Gruen. Gruen was an Austrian born American architect and his vision of mall was inspired by the environment of his hometown i.e. Vienna. He was used to the communal and interactive pedestrian environment of his native city, where sidewalks were lined with cafes and shops and he wanted to recreate this environment in the form of an enclosed shopping mall. He saw the suburbanization as something promoting social isolation rather than community. Gruen’s vision for mall went beyond the modernistic consumerist culture as he wanted to create an environment offering quality of life. The Origin of the Concept of Mall in America The idea or the concept of the mall emerged in 1920s, when J.C. Nicholas of Kansas City recognized the need to develop a shopping district away from the city. He ended up constructing the Country club Plaza which opened in 1922. Joining the drift of Country Club Plaza, the Highland Shopping Village in Dallas City, first planned shopping centre was opened in 1931. The stores were built in and under a single ownership. Moving forward, Sears Roebuck& Co. set up large, freestanding stores with on-site parking, away from the centers of big cities. Night time shopping was inaugurated at Town & Country Shopping Centre in Columbus, Ohio in 1944. - 3 - It was during the period between 1950s and 1960s, that a mall befitting the definitions of the modern times and reflecting its attributes materialized itself, as a result of Gruen’s vision coming to life. The very first mall in America came into being on March 22, 1954, in the form of Northland Shopping Centre. The Northland Shopping Centre comprised of 110 stores in 1,192,000 sq. ft. on 2 levels. This centre was under open sky with smaller storefronts facing generous walkways and plazas; coupled with extensive landscaping and to top it all off it was surrounded by a vast parking lot. Gruen wanted to create an urban space within an urban space where people and come together and spend time. Later on, the Northland Shopping Centre added various other facilities to its basket such as food court and cinema. This design of Gruen however has influenced the architecture and design of the future shopping malls that followed the same. Although with this very first project that Gruen took over he had made a mark but it was the next project which he took on that actually marked the initiation of indoor or enclosed shopping malls, ergo crowning him the father of shopping malls. The opening of Southdale Centre in Edina, Minnesota on October 8, 1956 announced the birth of modern indoors shopping malls. The American mall reached its peak in 1992 with mega malls coming into picture. The first mega mall i.e. Mall of America, Minnesota had revolutionized the shopping experience, with 5.6 million Sq. ft. with over 500 stores, a theme park of 27 rides coupled with an aquarium, a wedding chapel and a movie theatre. Mall became an essential part of the American lifestyle resulting in growing significance of the same. Emergence of Malls in India The late 20th century marked the introduction of malls in India. The Spencer Plaza Mall in Chennai is the very first mall of India. It was originally built by British, but it was destroyed due to a fire accident in 1985. Later on it was rebuilt in 1987. This construction stands as a significant landmark in the city of - 4 - Chennai. The Ansal Plaza Mall in Delhi and the Crossroads Mall in Mumbai which started operating in 1999 comprises one of the very first malls in India. India had just three operational malls in 2000, moving forward by 2013 India had 570 operational malls (as per a Story Published in TOI in August, 08, 2013).This number is increasing at an accelerating rate since then.