ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 begins by reflecting on the fact that the “culture” of the “cultural capital of India,” a nickname earned by the city of Kolkata, started to go beyond the so-called “cultural” and expressional boundaries and became a political weapon to secure mass support. I show that it was first done by the TMC through policy decisions and promotions of fairs and festivals and then by the BJP by utilising Hindutva sentiments. I have reviewed existing perspectives addressing this issue including the conceptual tools like “Hegemony,” “Misrecognition” and “false consciousness.” I show that these tools can be criticised and also used in addressing the issue. Finally, I formed the conceptual spine of the book by using Bourdieu’s concept of misrecognition and mapping the consolidation of misrecognition-based politics over the years in West Bengal.
