Synopsis
MICHIEL BAAS BRINGS ALIVE A WORLD OF MEN SCULPTING BODIES,
REDEFINING MASCULINITIES AND CONFRONTING THEIR VULNERABILITIES IN
THE GYMS OF URBAN INDIA.
clients, these shiny, modern institutions also hold the promise of upward mobility for the
personal trainers who work there.
By improving their English, ‘upgrading’ their dressing style and developing a deeper
understanding of the lives of their upmarket customers, they strategise to climb the middleclass ladder. Their lean, muscular bodies―which Bollywood has set the tone for―are crucial
to this. Diverging from an older masculine ideal represented by pehlwani wrestlers, these
bodies not only communicate (sexual) attractiveness, but also professionalism, control and
even cosmopolitanism. With the gym aspiring to be a safe space for women, trainers must
Yet,themore things change,themore they remainthe same.Classbarriersare lesspermeable
than they appear. The use of bodily capital to breach them is more fraught with danger than
one might anticipate. And the profession is riddled with pitfalls and contradictions.
them a new way to investigate India. He walks us through the homes and workspaces of
these men―yes, they are almost all men―to bodybuilding competitions and also into their
most intimate worlds of ambitions, desires and struggles. An unusual study of an unusual
subject, Baas unveils a fascinating world, hidden in plain sight.
About the Author
Michiel Baas has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam, and has held various academic positions with the National University of Singapore, Nalanda University (Rajgir), the International Institute for Asian Studies (Leiden) and the University of Amsterdam. Most of his work centres on the Indian middle class. He has published extensively on the topic to Australia; the migration trajectories of skilled professionals in Singapore; the Indian migration industry; and the lives and lifestyles of IT professionals in Bangalore.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.