As the politicization of cultural identities--based on religion, ethnicity, gender, race--has come to play a central role in shaping relations between and among peoples, issues of difference raise unsettling questions about how identities overlap and group interests are represented. Using the jute mills of Calcutta as a case study, Leela Fernandes reveals that these interconnections play a fundamental role in shaping both the political actions of workers and the representation of their interests.