I am about to finish my Master thesis in Anthropology on the topic of gender identity among young middle class girls in Delhi. Since the thesis that is due to be finished within a months time I am publishing the abstract, which is under construction, please feel free to comment or question the following.This thesis attempts to understand the ways in which gender is constructed and negotiated in the everyday lives of young urban girls in Delhi. I have investigated how the Desi girls negotiate their gender identities in relation to what is considered normative in their sociological setting. Approaching the topic of gender I engaged in participant observation including semi structured interviews and spending time with young middle class girls during 2 months in Delhi at the end of 2008. The girls I encountered in the field are all seniors at College and at phase of transition, being young, educated and of marriageable age. This is a portrait of how a selected group of informants negotiate gender and reflects on gender within the future that lies ahead. Using the theoretical framework of discourse analysis I contextualize the informant’s accounts discursively, to frame the opinions expressed during interviews session. I present a specific qualitative study with a selected group of informants.
Key words: Gender, Girls, Middle class, Delhi, Discourse analysis
