India is developing as a global gold powerhouse, yet this intricate web of trade remains largely overlooked by scholars. This book delves into the socio-economic significance of gold in India and studies its enormous cultural currency. Drawing on insights from economic sociology, political economy, and history, it combines comprehensive fieldwork with archival research to explore gold economy- covering imports, refining, trade, craft and mechanized production, retail and re-export. Through a multidisciplinary study, it connects a reconnaissance of the roles of gold in familial and gendered wealth with a range of key issues in political economy. It shows how exploring the quiddity of gold offers a perfect plot to deepen our understanding of the socially regulated Indian economy.

‘Gold is an object of immense historical, economic and cultural fascination, but it has largely escaped the attention of social scientists. Gold in India sets out to change this by using the precious metal as a prism through which to decipher crucial aspects of the political economy of India and indeed Indian society. Putting the spotlight on gold, this book makes a novel and highly informative contribution to economic anthropology and sociology.’

Jens Beckert - Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Germany

‘In this pathbreaking volume the contributors explore the polysemic character of gold, an object that is technical and ornamental, ranging across gifts and commodities, and used in medical and scientific processes. The volume, made up of multidisciplinary explorations, allows us to think of material culture and social life in productive and innovative ways. It is sure to be of indispensable importance to students and researchers exploring the concepts of value and exchange.’

Deepak Mehta - Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Ashoka University, India

‘Groundbreaking and fascinating! Finally, we have a major work on the multifaceted roles of gold in India’s economic life. Bringing together evidence from historical archives, policy documents and ethnographic observations, the eminently qualified contributors from different fields reveal intricate, and often surprising, connections between the global economy, monetary policies, kinship and gender relations, cottage industry and informal trade throughout modern times. This book also lays solid foundation for future research on gold, which is likely to gain more attention given the deep uncertainties in the global economy in the early 21st century.’

Biao Xiang - Director of Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany