He making and re-making of the imperial nexus of jute, 1840-1940 -- The coming of the up-countrymen : labour conditions and class formation in the Bengal jute industry, 1875-1910 -- The making of juteopolis and the imperial nexus of jute, 1875-1910 -- Working class militancy and labor politics...

Young women and work -- Earning a living : daughters and the family economy -- Entering employment -- Mobility, migration, and aspiration -- Work culture -- "Frivolous" workers? : trade unionism and militancy -- Beyond the workplace : leisure and courtship

Introduction -- The Power of the Illusion, the Way We Never Were -- The Dream Interrupted, Insecurity Among the Middle-Aged -- Privileged Expectations and Insecure Realities -- The Myth of Equal Opportunity -- Negotiating Uncertainty -- Economic Vulnerability as the New Normal.