Women, Identity and India's Call Centre Industry

J.K. Tina Basi holds a PhD in Gender Studies and Sociology from the Universityof Leeds. Previously a freelance ethnographic researcher with Intel’s DigitalHealth Group in Ireland, she has also established a consultancy, MehfilEnterprise, conducting corporate ethnography in media and technology relatedindustries. She is currently working on a new ethnographic research project about spirituality.

• 1. Introduction: 'A Myriad of Well-Wishing Little Sisters' 2. Globalizing India: The Rise of the Call Centre and BPO Industries 3. Pinking and Rethinking Professional Identities: The Construction of Women's Work Identities 4. BTMs in BPOs: Using Sartorial Strategies to Establish Patterns of Identification and Recognition 5. Techs and the City: Challenging Patriarchal Norms through Spatial Practice 6. Conclusion: Agency and Identity

'This is a modern book for modern times. Basi defies conventional wisdom- that call centre employment is either India’s post colonial revenge or globalisation’s way of destroying national identity - and in true feminist tradition, privileges the experiences of the women themselves. She explores the lives, experiences and aspirations of young women working in call centres in New Dehli outsourced from the UK and examines the ways in which they negotiate patriarchal expectations of management family and culture, actively constructing new identities which work for them in the new India. This is a compelling account of fast changing industry which Basi captures with sophisticated theoretical analysis as well as a woman’s eye and understanding.' - Ruth Pearson, Director, Centre for Development Studies, University of Leeds, UK'Tina Basi makes an invaluable contribution to discussions on globalization and postcolonial subjectivity through a captivating study of women call centre workers in India referencing their lives inside and outside the workplace. The focus on identity and agency ensures the emergent picture is one of complexity and contradiction, exploitation and empowerment, challenging singular depictions of docility prevalent in the literature to date.' - Diane Perrons, Gender Institute, London School of Economics, UK 'Basi has made an important contribution with her book, Women, Identity and India’s Call Centre Industry by examining the intersection of gender, work, culture and globalization... the book establishes important empirical and theoretical contributions that make it a must for scholars looking to unpack the social implications that are tethered to the international growth of ITES and the consequent sociology of work.' - Andrew Stevens, Queen’s University, Canada; Work Employment Society 2012 26