Ethnographic

Research Project in the Indian

Quarters of Paris
Media & Ethnography
Laure-Anne Galludec

FALL 2015
May 5

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

Ethnographic Research Project in the Indian Quarters of Paris



Abstract

In this research project, I aim to examine the relationship of the Indian diaspora living in
Paris (most particularly women) with Bollywood movies and music. In analyzing this
relationship, I aim to reveal the ways in which Bollywood may have an effect on the Indian
national identity of these immigrants, as well as how it may shape their notions of fashion
and beauty standards. This ethnographic study of the Indian population of Paris is done
through participant observation and interviews of Indian women living/working in shops
of the Indian quarter located in the area of La Chapelle and Gare du Nord.


Background Research

For this project, previous researches on the topic of global Indian diaspora, as well as the
use of Bollywood and the formation of Indian women beauty ideals were used, in order to
get an understanding of the topics, and see how these themes applied in the context of the
Indian diaspora in Paris, France. One of the researches used as background information,
and contextualization of the Indian diaspora was one done by the department of sociology
of a university in India, where the study reveals data on Indians living abroad. In this study,
it is stated, recent population estimates () suggest that the Indian immigrants have

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

crossed approximately the 20 million mark, dispersed around the globe in more than 70
countries. They number above 10,000 in 48 countries and half a million mark in 11
countries (Bhat and Narayan 16), which reflects on the striking extent of the Indian
diaspora, and makes it comprehensible that the Indian community in Paris exposes such a
display of culture. Another study used in this ethnographic research is one, which focuses
on the Indian ideal of beauty related to the bleaching of skin, as a mark of fairness and
desirability, and is entitled The Empire strikes back: Postcolonial and Colorism in Indian
women. Although the ethnographic research done in Paris did not focus on this particular
subject, the information of this background of research allows for an understanding of how
Indian beauty ideals are created by the media and movie industry, and relate to caste
systems, as well as marriage as a traditional value. This study on Indian women beauty
ideals with regards to light skin color reflects on the way Indian women are influenced by
famous Indian celebrities, and the extent to which they go to resemble their idols. The last
study, used in this ethnographic research is one, which focuses on the many aspects of
beauty ideals for Indian women, and how Bollywood, along with other types of media have
contributed to the creation of those beauty standards through time. This study entitled
Fair and Lovely: Standards of Beauty, Globalization, and the Modern Indian Woman
therefore observes how beauty criterions in India have shifted due to the women presented
in Bollywood movies, and the many different features which Indian women try to recreate
on themselves, to achieve the beauty of actresses they see on screen, and achieve the social
values which they relate to.

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

Research Question

How do Indians living in Paris use Bollywood films and music in their lives, and to what
extent does this use of Bollywood shape their Indian national identity, as well as their
beauty and fashion ideals?


Methodology

For this research project, the methods I chose to use were participant observation, as well
as interviews. In order to do my research, I therefore went to the Indian quarters of Paris
five times, and at different times of the day, and looked for a few shops, which were related
to the use of Bollywood, as well as to Indian fashion and cosmetics. In this search, I found
five sari and jewelry shops, four beauty salons and three music and movie stores. In order
to help guide my ethnographic interviews, participant observation and note taking process,
I based my methodology on the works of Spradley and Emerson et Al on participant
observation, and on writing ethnographic fieldnotes. These two works supported me in my
progression and ensured an ideal methodology for my research.

My methodology had some strength to it, as for example; my interviews and participant
observation were done during the middle of the day, at a time range between 1pm to 5pm.

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

This allowed me to be sure that there would be the most people to interview and observe,
as the sites of my fieldwork were places of work, such as beauty salons, DVD stores and
clothes stores. Doing my fieldwork allowed me to be certain that there would be people
either working in the shops, of buying things in them. This was most especially helpful in
my collection of information, as during an earlier trip to the area, I had noticed that women
were absent from public places at the end of the day, as they were most probably home
preparing dinner for their families. As my research focuses on womens perception, the
presence of women during my research was most essential.
There were also a few weaknesses in my methodology, such as the place where my
interviews and participant observations were taking place. Doing my fieldwork in the
workspace of my subjects was a limitation, as it revealed to make them uncomfortable in
answering questions, in fear of their superior getting irritated. This also created a sort of
insecurity for them in terms of my motives, and me not being there to discuss their personal
lives, but focusing on considering their work abilities.

During my research, my position as a researcher may have been questioned by some of the
subjects. In order to chase the tensions and worries, I sometimes used the argument of
having lived in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In doing this, I attempted to create a link between
the subjects and myself, in order to make my interviewees more comfortable about my
presence, and lessen the idea of me being a total stranger. Despite this having worked in
some cases, some of the interviewees were still reluctant in talking and letting me observe

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

them, because of the language barrier, as well as the academic purpose I had, which may
have made them feel judged.


Findings and Analysis


The main obstacle during the ethnographic interviewing and participant observation
process was the lack of women willing to contribute to the project. Along the research,
many women looked as if on guard about the purpose of the study, and what it implicated,
even when informed that it was not going to be held against them in any way. This lack of
trust between the informants and myself was reflected along the study through short
answers and most probably incomplete honesty, as only one woman seemed fully serene
about my presence, and interested in my work. This woman, renamed Aaja for the
anonymity of the study had been living in Paris for 20 years, and was now the owner of a
sari shop in the area of the study. Like most of the time, at my arrival in the shop, employees
refused to answer my questions and redirected me towards their superior, anxiously
looking at what they would say. In the various shops I studied, I discovered that Indians
(both men and women) have established a sort of tradition of going to the movie theatre
around St Denis or the Champs Elyses every week (most often on Sundays) to watch new
Bollywood movies that came out on the Friday. This practice was followed by the majority
of the interviewees, and was used as a way of reinforcing the cultural bonds of their
country, which they felt was fading because of the distance. It is obvious that, though the

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

Indians are separated by distance, they remain linked to one another through ties of real or
imaginary kinship, shared resources, and cultural exchanges. They preserve and recreate
their culture in new homes across the globe (Bhat and Narayan 22), which is why film is a
medium for cultural identity formation for the Indian women of La Chapelle.

Bollywood movies were also present in the working spaces of many individuals, especially
in beauty salons. In beauty salons, television was the source of discussion between
customers and employees, as well as employees between themselves when the salons were
empty. Women spent time discussing the physical appearances of actresses, as well as the
music and dances. The study revealed that women often looked up on Bollywood actresses
for their idealistic roles in films, as well as their physical appearance. Bollywood movies
have been displaying images of almost flawless women, who sometimes even incarnate
Goddesses. As observed in the study, this has lead women to follow certain beauty ideals
like facial hair removal, henna, and the importance of colorful sari and jewelry. The majority
of women in the ethnographic research came to the salon to get hairdos they saw on
Bollywood actresses, or to get not only their eyebrows threaded, but also their facial hair,
which is a rather long and painful process. This depicts the importance Indian women
attached to achieving the beauty ideals of the actresses who were playing in the movies
shown at the salon, as well as in the multiple magazines at their disposition. As observed by
Gelles in her own study, the media not only plays a significant role in setting these beauty
standards (), but also directly affects these women, as they see advertisements
encouraging them to look a certain way or actresses they admire changing their

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

appearances to fit new standards (26). Although in most sari shops, women seemed to buy
colorful garments uniquely for significant events like weddings, some women admitted the
influence of Bollywood on the saris they bought, which reflects on the effect of the film
industry as a channel for traditional values, which beauty ideals relate to. In the research,
women were not only inspired by the looks of actresses, but also by their achievements in
life, which seemed to be a driver for their aspirations of resemblance.


Conclusion

This ethnographic research therefore revealed that Indian women living in Paris use
Bollywood as a cultural and social identity shaper, that formulates beauty ideals. The
women of the study try to achieve these ideals in order to feel not only personal beauty
accomplishment, but also life ambitions like the traditional value of marriage. Bollywood
movies have an influence on fashion and beautifying ideals for the women, as the actresses
appear as role models that women idealize, and endeavor to resemble. As Gelles also
observed, in the present day, the urban Indian woman has a cacophony of voices telling her
how she should look, from television and Bollywood to fashion magazines to her family
(11), which seemed to apply also in the context of their life in Paris, if not more to a certain
extent, as this quest for beauty reflects a desire to conform to the norms of Indian culture
and perception of beauty, which they are less exposed to due to the foreign environment.

Laure-Anne
Galludec

Media & Ethnography

SPRING 2015

Indian women in Paris therefore view Bollywood as guides for the formation of their
cultural and social identity, which they attempt to recreate in Paris, despite the distance
from their original cultural pool.


Bibliography

Adeni, Samra. The Empire Strikes Back Postcolonialism and Colorism in Indian
Women. Thesis. Stanford University, n.d. N.p.: n.p., 2014. Print.

Bhat, Chandrashekhar, and Laxmi K. Narayan. Indian Diaspora, Globalization and

Transnational Networks: The South African Context. 2010. n. pag. Web.
Emerson, et Al. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. University of Chicago, 1995.
Print.

Gelles, Rebecca. Fair and Lovely: Standards of Beauty, Globalization, and the
Modern Indian Woman. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. Paper. School
for International Training India, 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Runkle, Susan. "Bollywood, Beauty and the Corporate Construction of

International Standards in Post-Liberalization" South Asian Graduate Research
Journal. Thesis. The University of Texas at Austin, 2003. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Spradley, J. Participant Observation. Wadsworth. 1980. Print.