Seminar on Masculinities and Everyday Morality in Public Transport

Last Friday, 17 April, a new seminar was held, featuring sociologist Romit Chowdhury, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Under the title “City of Men: Masculinities and Everyday Morality on Public Transport”, the session explored how masculinities are constructed and negotiated in urban contexts in South Asia, with particular attention to the city of Kolkata (India) and to the role of public transport as a privileged site of observation.

Chowdhury presented an ethnographic approach that examines everyday interactions among different groups of men, as well as the relationships they establish with transport workers, police officers, and passengers. Drawing on these dynamics, the speaker reflected on how everyday morality, forms of cooperation, conflict, and situated support contribute to the reproduction of masculine privilege in the urban public space.

The seminar generated an enriching debate among attendees, who were able to engage with the researcher on the social and political implications of these everyday practices, as well as on the possibilities of rethinking gender relations in the contemporary city.