The Practice of Idol-Making in Kumartuli: Cultural Heritage, Spatial Transformation and Neoliberal Governance in Kolkata
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THE PRACTICE OF IDOL-MAKING IN KUMARTULI: CULTURAL HERITAGE, SPATIAL TRANSFORMATION AND NEOLIBERAL GOVERNANCE IN KOLKATA A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2020 DEBAPRIYA CHAKRABARTI School of Environment, Education and Development Architecture Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 2 List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. 5 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. 6 List of Plates ............................................................................................................................... 7 Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 10 Declaration ....................................................................................................................... 11 Copyright Statement ......................................................................................................... 12 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 13 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 16 1.1. Introducing the ‘cultural capital of India’ ......................................................................... 19 1.2. The Durga Puja narrative .................................................................................................. 25 1.3. The research rationale ...................................................................................................... 30 1.4. Thesis Structure ................................................................................................................ 32 2. Theoretical Framework and Literature Review ........................................................... 36 2.1. Introduction and rationale of the literature review ......................................................... 36 2.2. Socio-spatial practices in informal urban areas of the global South ................................ 38 2.3. Emergent Places: Place-making, rootedness and urban informality ............................... 46 2.4. Cultural heritage and the politics of marginality .............................................................. 48 2.5. Social theories of practice and the spatial and material correlations .............................. 55 2.6. Conceptual framework and Summary .............................................................................. 60 3. Research Methodology .............................................................................................. 62 3.1. Research Design ............................................................................................................... 64 3.2. Case Study Research ......................................................................................................... 68 3.3. Practice Theory Research Methods .................................................................................. 69 3.3.1. A combination of Ethnographic Research Methods .................................................. 70 3.3.2. Participatory Visual Research Methods..................................................................... 74 2 3.4. Fieldwork .......................................................................................................................... 78 3.4.1. Phase 1: September – December 2017 ..................................................................... 79 3.4.2. Phase 2: March – May 2018 ...................................................................................... 82 3.5. Analysis and presentation of the data ............................................................................. 84 3.6. Summary .......................................................................................................................... 85 4. A Situated Cultural Practice: Emergence of Idol-making in Kumartuli .......................... 89 4.1. Origin and evolution of the Caste-based potters’ para ................................................. 100 4.2. The politics of Durga Puja celebration in colonial Calcutta ........................................... 108 4.3. The rise and impact of ‘baroyari’ Durga Puja ................................................................ 110 4.4. Idol crafting: traditional materials and contemporary technologies ............................. 114 4.5. Interwoven communities of practice situated in Kumartuli .......................................... 121 4.6. Emerging actors and shift in Durga Puja preparations .................................................. 129 4.7. Kumartuli’s present: a summary .................................................................................... 136 5. Residents’ lived experiences: The Spatial, Social and Cultural Meanings of Place ....... 140 5.1. Residents’ photographs of places: tales from the neighbourhood ............................... 143 5.2. Insights of the residents’ everyday practices through their lens ................................... 158 5.3. Coordination and collective action among neighbours as part of a caste-homogeneous neighbourhood ..................................................................................................................... 164 5.4. Interpretations of the photographs and their implications: the informality question .. 169 5.5. Photo-study reflections: A summary ............................................................................. 172 6. Changing Scenarios: Policies, Agencies and the Voices of Resistance ......................... 176 6.1. The infrastructure that supports idol-making practices ................................................ 178 6.2. KMDA redevelopment plan and the immediate implications ....................................... 190 6.3. Reaction and resistance to the KMDA plan ................................................................... 198 6.4. The ownership questions in a registered ‘slum’ ............................................................ 204 6.5. The operations of the industry: A summary .................................................................. 207 7. The Spaces of Production: The Old, the New and the Places In-between ................... 212 7.1. The workshop-residences at the centre of all practices in Kumartuli ........................... 214 7.1.1. Type 1: The traditional workshop-residence .......................................................... 217 3 7.1.2. Type 2: The ‘factory-shed’ workshop ...................................................................... 227 7.1.3. Type 3: Repurposed Workshops .............................................................................. 234 7.1.4. Type 4: Purpose-built temporary or permanent workshop spaces ........................ 238 7.1.5 Comparative analysis of the spatial study of workshops ......................................... 239 7.2. Implications of the spatial study .................................................................................... 243 7.3. Spatial practices shaping relational geographies of idol-making: a summary ............... 246 8. Discussions and Conclusion ...................................................................................... 249 8.1. Contributions of this research ........................................................................................ 252 8.2. Implications of the research ........................................................................................... 254 8.3. Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 256 8.4. The PhD journey: Reflections and future research ........................................................ 260 References ...................................................................................................................... 262 Appendix ........................................................................................................................ 279 Appendix 1: Participant Information Sheet ........................................................................... 279 Appendix 2: Consent form ..................................................................................................... 281 Appendix 3: Photo-study Form .............................................................................................. 282 Appendix 3: Interview Questionnaire ................................................................................... 286 Word Count: 79,300 4 List of Tables Table 3.1 Basic Details of the photo-study participants ............................................................. 83 Table 3.2 List of interviewees ..................................................................................................... 87 Table 4.1 The annual pattern of idol making in the Kumartuli area (Source: tabulated using data from the Bengali calendar and interviews at Kumartuli) ....................................................... 90 Table 4.2 Timeline of Events relating to the Idol-making community of Kumartuli ................. 138 5 List of