Casted masculinities in the Punjabi diaspora in Spain

Abstract

This paper discusses how young, unmarried Indian men of Punjabi origin from an ex-untouchable caste negotiate masculinity in a first-generation migration context in Barcelona, Spain. Based on fieldwork carried out over a two-year period, the paper explores how men assert their masculinity through economics, moral leadership, caste pride and the exaltation of Indian gender norms. It discusses how the majority of young Punjabi men in Spain adhere ideologically to a breadwinning, hegemonic form of masculinity. It finds that Dalit men, in response to the devaluation of their masculinity by upper caste and Spanish men, respond by valuing their masculinity as superior and investing in upward mobility.