• ISBN13: 9788126939893
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: Sociology and Anthropology
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Atlantic
• Publication Date: December 19, 2024
• Pages: 268
• Original Price: INR 1295.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 470 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): N/A

Calcutta has one of the largest Anglo-Indian populations in the world. This is a community with members who occupy a wide range of socio-economic positions and who live a variety of lives that are always nuanced by their being Anglo-Indian. However, the community has been conveniently stereotyped by the media. Christmas in Calcutta goes beyond the stereotype and delves deep in this study of the Anglo-Indian community in Calcutta.

The book comprises life stories, memoir pieces and essays on issues of contemporary interest. It is organised into four sections: ‘Identity’ focuses on the origins, characteristics and the constitutional definition of the community; ‘Faith’, or specifically the practice of Christianity, is the subject of study in the second section; ‘Education’ points out some of the failings of the education system for the community; and the final section, ‘Community Care’, talks about Anglo-Indian care and the consolidation of their community through this care.

By drawing on the vital lives of real individuals, the author hopes that there is a change to the lens through which these people of India are viewed.

Robyn Andrews is Associate Professor in Social Anthropology and a Research Fellow at Massey University, New Zealand. Her research interest in Anglo-Indians began with her PhD, Being Anglo-Indian: Practices and Stories from Calcutta (2005), based on ethnographic research with Calcutta's Anglo-Indian community. She has continued her research involvement with the community with a shift in focus to other parts of India, studying the diaspora, ageing experiences and the place of religion and pilgrimage in Anglo-Indian lives. She is co-editor, along with Brent H. Otto, of the International Journal of Anglo-Indian Studies.

• List of Photos ix
• Foreword by Irwin Allan Sealy xi
• Preface xv
• Acknowledgements xvii
• Introduction xxi

• Part One: Identity

• Chapter 1: Angeline: Typically Anglo-Indian 3
• Chapter 2: Essay: Culture and Identity 13
• Chapter 3: Irene: Questions of Identity 32

• Part Two: Faith

• Chapter 4: Dulcie: The Kindness of Strangers and an Everyday Faith 51
• Chapter 5: Essay: A Christian Community in Changing Times 66
• Chapter 6: Jane: God-given Opportunities 85

• Part Three: Education

• Chapter 7: Peter: The Less the Education, the Fewer the Opportunities 99
• Chapter 8: Michael Robertson: Education and the Community 107
• Chapter 9: Essay: Reflections on Dilemmas in Education 121
• Chapter 10: Philip: With Education Comes Success 138

• Part Four: Community Care

• Chapter 11: Philomena Eaton: Social Service Convenor Extraordinaire 157
• Chapter 12: Essay: Community Care and Consolidation 168
• Chapter 13: Barry O’Brien: Charismatic Politician 180
• Chapter 14: Meryl: Life, Last Days and Care 191
• Final Words: Reflections on Research and the Community 206
• Bibliography 209
• Index 213
• About the Author 219