Indian Sociologists Chapter 6 PDF

# Chapter 6 - Indian Sociologists ## The Origin of Indian Sociology Indian sociology originated as a structured discipline due to the colonial masters' interest in learning about the people and culture of India. Indian scholars have studied the society and culture of India since ancient times, but...

# Chapter 6 - Indian Sociologists ## The Origin of Indian Sociology Indian sociology originated as a structured discipline due to the colonial masters' interest in learning about the people and culture of India. Indian scholars have studied the society and culture of India since ancient times, but the influence of foreign scholars added a new dimension to their traditional studies. Indian sociology is not a mere replication of Western methods and scholarship; it is a synthesis of the existing sociological tradition of the country with Western thought. This led to the establishment of dedicated departments, expanding teaching and research in sociology. ## Key Figures in Indian Sociology - **Early contributors (1920s-1980s):** - Radhakamal Mukherjee - G.S. Ghurye - D.P. Mukherjee - M.N. Srinivas - **These scholars shaped Indian sociology, focusing on developing a tradition of Indian sociology that nurtured various aspects of society.** ## Significant Indian Sociologists ### Radha Kamal Mukherjee - **Specialisation:** Social Ecology - **Born:** Berhampore, West Bengal. - **Key contributions:** Pioneered adult education, explored social reality through research, advocated for a universalistic theory of sociology based on social action theory, believed in fieldwork and real-life observations, contributed to understanding rural economy and land problems. ### G.S. Ghurye - **Specialisation:** Origins of the Caste System. - **Born:** Malavan, West Coast of India - **Key contributions:** Established the Department of Sociology at the University of Bombay, wrote extensively on Indian culture, studied caste and race extensively, included political and economic dimensions to the study of sociology. ### M.N. Srinivas - **Specialisation:** Brahminisation and Sanskritization - **Born:** Mysore - **Key contributions:** Contributed to the development of Indian social anthropology, studied village societies, introduced the concepts of 'Brahminisation' and 'Sanskritization', focused on the specific angle of social change, researched social customs and their transformations. ### Iravati Karve - **Specialisation:** Kinship and the Family - **Born:** Maharastra - **Key contributions:** First woman anthropologist of India, contributed to various branches of sociology, anthropology, and literature, mapped kinship patterns across various linguistic zones, focused on the feminist perspective of the Indian Family. ### N.K. Bose - **Specialisation:** The Hindu Method of Tribal Absorption - **Born:** Kolkata - **Key contributions:** A great scholar of anthropology and other academic fields, a sincere field worker and a nationalist, contributed to Indian sociology, focused on the history of research on the castes and tribes of India, argued that caste is an integrative force that integrates people into a ranked order based on norms and purity-pollution. **These eminent Indian Sociologists have profoundly shaped the field of Indian sociology, contributing significantly to our understanding of society, culture, kinship, caste, and social change.**