Migration, Neoliberal Capitalism, and Islamic Reform in Kozhikode (Calicut), South India

Osella, Filippo; Osella, Caroline

Abstract

This article explores relationships between religious and economic practices in Kozhikode, a medium-sized city in Kerala. We examine debates concerning the apparent decline of the “bazaar economy” in the face of the onslaught of globalization and the consequent emergence of a “new economy.” The latter is felt locally to be overdetermined by capital and entrepreneurial practices connected, either directly or indirectly, to the combined effects of migration to the Gulf countries of West Asia and to the post-1991 liberalization of the Indian economy. We argue that these public debates are not simply reflections on the harsh reality of economic rationalization, but underscore the production and articulation of specific economies of morality and affect. We also perceive a drawing together of seemingly divergent orientations, sensibilities, and practices—namely, those commonly associated with reformist Islam and what in recent literature has been described as “neoliberal global capitalism.”

Citation

Osella, F., & Osella, C. (2011). Migration, Neoliberal Capitalism, and Islamic Reform in Kozhikode (Calicut), South India. International Labor and Working-Class History, 79(S1), 140-160. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0147547910000359

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Aug 11, 2011
• Print ISSN: 0147-5479
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-6445
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 79
• Issue: S1
• Pages: 140-160
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0147547910000359