Middle-class activism and the politics of the informal working class - A perspective on class relations and civil society in Indian cities

Abstract:
This article compares political activism amongst members of the middle class and the informal working class in three Indian cities, Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai. Furthermore, the article examines the linkages that exist between these different organisations. One of the findings is that members of the middle class are more likely to participate in politics through their own organisations and activism, whereas informal workers were more likely to plea to political parties for help.
Most of the informal workers‟ organisations mentioned in this study can be seen as slum dwellers‟ associations that connect two causes, housing rights and rights to livelihood. Some middle class women‟s organisations sought to establish links with informal worker‟s organisations, based on their shared goals of improving women‟s position in society on several levels. According to the author, the women‟s movements appear to supply the backbone of the mobilizations of informal workers in Chennai. Some of the organisations even share leadership between slum dwellers‟ organizations and women‟s organizations.