An Old-fashioned Adolescence?: Identity and Opportunities of Young Boys from a Small-town Bourgeoisie in India

In this article I criticize the idea that modernity entails individuation and breakdown of the family. Indeed, the family as referred to here is in itself a modern phenomenon. I stress the continued importance of family and kinship ties in contemporary society, with particular reference to India, where bourgeois culture and family is still a strong presence. The main body of my material comes from a study of Brahmin businessmen in the small town of Udupi, in South-west India. Here, young boys grow up with a very concrete notion of joining the family firm. These are joint families, and there is no sign that this pattern is weakening. I explore the dynamics of this family situation further through Maghani 's novel, 'Betrothal ', from a merchant milieu in Saurashtra. I conclude that this kind of 'old-fashioned adolescence ' is in no way a matter of the past.