Space, Caste Capital, and Occupational Monopoly: Labor Market Inequality Among Plumbers in Delhi

The historical context underpinning migration, housing and caste sociality shape labor-market inequality among plumbers belonging to two different castes in Delhi. Drawing on ethnographic research, I explore the overlaps between caste and labor-market inequalities by examining a) how enduring spatial relations, especially with respect to housing segregation produce labor-market inequality; and b) how caste trust and networks shape differential outcomes for plumbers belonging to an intermediate caste and an oppressed caste (dalits) in Delhi. After arriving in Delhi, the intermediate caste members deployed their caste networks to find housing in urban villages in south Delhi, which are underpinned by caste relations that in turn deterred the entry of members of oppressed castes who experienced rampant untouchability in the city. Dalits found jobs as “helpers” rather than plumbers and arranged “temporary” housing accommodation in unfinished buildings at construction sites and subsequently in a dalit village, which testifies to the segregation of neighborhoods along caste lines and the correlated lack of avenues for economic opportunities in the city. The intermediate caste members used their caste networks to learn skills, build a client-base, and receive plumbing contracts through informal apprenticeships and spatial proximity to initially gain monopoly over this occupation. The possession of differentially distributed economic, social, and cultural capital congealed as a distinct form of caste capital shaped the labor-market outcomes. The possession of relative economic capital, intricate knowledge, and linguistic sophistication and demeanor obtained through intergenerational accumulation of advantages gave the intermediate caste members a head-start in establishing relationships with architects, hardware store owners, and builders, which remained paramount to receiving plumbing contracts in the city. While intermediate caste members deployed their caste trust to receive loans, advance payments, and supervisory jobs from contractors belonging to their own castes, dalits faced literacy and numeracy challenges and experienced generational exclusions.