Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

The lasting imprint of Colonial Modernity was the rise of a Cultural Renaissance in nineteenth century Calcutta. But this “Enlightenment” did little to integrate the “natives” against the colonial ruler. Instead, it bred the consciousness of difference and classism within the “native” population, one that remains entrenched within the Bengali society. Focusing on the 200-year-old book market in College Street, Calcutta, this study explores the historicity of the Renaissance and how the differences manifested spatially through the production of urban public spaces. Using archival data, literary analysis, and data collected through in-depth interviews and participant observation, the study integrates an interpretive historic approach with a qualitative ethnographic approach to delve into how this bazaar space manifested the exclusionary processes of class divisions in the Bengali society. The study is a comprehensive attempt to understand the production of urban spaces in postcolonial cities such as Calcutta in the nineteenth century. In the process, the study reveals the nuances of the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized that produced unique and diverse forms of urban public spaces in Calcutta.