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Language and power in India's “new services”

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  • Cayla, Julien
  • Bhatnagar, Kushagra

Abstract

Language is at the heart of service interactions and a crucial element influencing the relationship between service provider and customer. As a specific form of symbolic capital, language can also be used to exclude and dominate. Our research looks at the role of language in shaping the power dynamic between service providers and customers in the Indian context. This study builds from extensive fieldwork conducted in the area of “new services”, following Indian gym trainers and coffee shop baristas as they interact with elite English-speaking clients. The findings detail how English operates as an invisible boundary in service settings, by excluding Indians who do not speak it with fluency. However, when used to develop expert knowledge, language also becomes an opportunity for lower middle class Indians to resist and invert the domination of the elite.

Suggested Citation

  • Cayla, Julien & Bhatnagar, Kushagra, 2017. "Language and power in India's “new services”," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 189-198.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:72:y:2017:i:c:p:189-198
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.07.014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dholakia, Ruby R. & Dholakia, Nikhilesh & Chattopadhyay, Atish, 2018. "Indigenous marketing practices and theories in emerging economies: Consumer behavior and retail transformations in India," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 406-415.

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