BA (H) Sociology

Discipline Specific Elective 06

Indian Sociological Traditions
Course Objectives

1. Improve sociological understanding of Indian society.

2. Examine how sociologists in India have primarily been engaged with issues of tradition
and modernity, caste, tribe and gender.
3. Acquaint the students to the continuities and contradictions in Indian society.
4. Help understand the history of ideas related to the analysis of Indian society.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Ensure that students have conceptual clarity and can articulate the main debates and
arguments with regard to sociology in India.
2. Acquaint the students to the continuities and contradictions in Indian society
3. To ensure that students have understood the formation of the discipline in India and the
challenges that it has faced.
4. To help students understand the history of ideas related to the analysis of Indian society.

Course Content

Unit 1 G S Ghurye

1.1 Caste and Race

Unit 2 D P Mukerji

2.1 Tradition and Modernity

2.2 Middle Class

Unit 3 Verrier Elwin

3.1. Tribes in India

Unit 4 M.N. Srinivas

4.1. Social Change

Unit 5 Irawati Karve

5.1. Gender and Kinship

Unit 6 Leela Dube

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 6.1 Caste and Gender

Unit 1 G. S. Ghurye (Weeks 1-2)

Upadhya, Carol 2010, The Idea of an Indian Society: G.S. Ghurye and the Making of Indian
Sociology‟ in Patricia Uberoi, Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (ed) Anthropology in the
East: Founders of Indian Sociology and Anthropology, New Delhi: Permanent Black

Ghurye, G.S. 1969, Caste and Race in India, Delhi: Popular Prakashan Pp 114-140,404-460

Unit 2. D. P. Mukerji (Weeks 3-4)

2.1 Tradition and Modernity

Madan, T.N. 2010, Search for Synthesis: The Sociology of D.P Mukerji‟ in Patricia Uberoi,
Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (ed) Anthropology in the East: Founders of Indian
Sociology and Anthropology, New Delhi: Permanent Black

Mukerji D.P. (1958 second edition 2002), Diversities: Essays in Economics, Sociology and
Other Social Problems, Delhi: Manak Publications Pp. 177-225, 261-276

2.2 Middle Class

Chakraborty, D 2010, D P Mukerji and the Middle Class in India, Sociological Bulletin 59(2),
May-August 235-255

Unit 3. Verrier Elwin (Week 5-7)

Guha, Ramchandra 2010, „Between Anthropology and Literature: The Ethnographies of Verrier
Elwin‟ in Patricia Uberoi, Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (eds) Anthropology in the East:
Founders of Indian Sociology and Anthropology, New Delhi: Permanent Black

Elwin, Verrier 1955, The Religion of an Indian Tribe, Bombay: OUP Chp 11, 15, 16,

Munshi, Indra 2004, Verrier Elwin and Tribal Development‟ in T.B. Subba and Sujit Som (eds)
Between Ethnography and Fiction: Verrier Elwin and the Tribal Question in India, New Delhi:
Orient Longman

Das.Veena,. 2006. Oxford Handbook of Indian sociology, OUP: New Delhi, pp 1-18

Unit 4. M. N. Srinivas (Week 8-10)

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Srinivas, M.N. 1996, Indian Anthropologists and the study of Indian Society, Economic and
Political Weekly, 31(11) 656-657

Srinivas, M.N. 1971, Social Change in Modern India, University of California Press Berkeley
Chp 4-5

Srinivas, M. N.1992, On Living in a Revolution and Other Essays, Delhi: OUP. Chap 1, 2, 3&5

Unit 5. Irawati Karve (Week 11-12)

Sundar, Nandini 2010, “In the Cause of Anthropology: The Life and Work of Irawati Karve” in
Patricia Uberoi, Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (ed) Anthropology in the East: Founders
of Indian Sociology and Anthropology, Permanent Black New Delhi

Karve, Irawati 1965, Kinship Organization in India, Bombay and New York: Asia Publishing
House

Unit 6. Leela Dube (Week 13-14)

Dube, Leela 1967, Caste, Class and Power: Eastern Anthropologist, Lucknow 20(2) 215-225

Dube, Leela 2001, Anthropological Explorations in Gender: Intersecting Fields, New Delhi:
Sage Chp 3,5 & 6

References:

Compulsory Readings:

Chakraborty, D 2010, D P Mukerji and the Middle Class in India, Sociological Bulletin 59(2),
May-August 235-255

Das.Veena,. 2006. Oxford Handbook of Indian sociology, OUP: New Delhi, Pp 1-18

Dube, Leela 1967, Caste, Class and Power, Eastern Anthropologist, Lucknow 20(2) 215-225

Dube, Leela 2001, Anthropological Explorations in Gender: Intersecting Fields, New Delhi:
Sage Chp 3,5 & 6

Elwin, Verrier 1955. The Religion of an Indian Tribe, Bombay: OUP Chp 11, 15, 16,

Ghurye, G.S. 1969, Caste and Race in India, Delhi: Popular Prakashan Pp 114-140,404-460

Guha, Ramchandra 2010, ‘Between Anthropology and Literature: The Ethnographies of Verrier
Elwin‟ in Patricia Uberoi, Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (eds) Anthropology in the East:
Founders of Indian Sociology and Anthropology, New Delhi: Permanent Black

96
Karve, Irawati 1965, Kinship Organization in India, Bombay and New York: Asia Publishing
House

Madan, T.N. 2010, “Search for Synthesis: The Sociology of D.P Mukerji‟ in Patricia Uberoi,
Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (ed) Anthropology in the East: Founders of Indian
Sociology and Anthropology, New Delhi: Permanent Black

Mukerji D.P. (1958 second edition 2002), Diversities: Essays in Economics, Sociology and
Other Social Problems, Delhi: Manak Publications Pg 177-225, 261-276

Munshi, Indra 2004, “Verrier Elwin and Tribal Development‟ in T.B. Subba and Sujit Som (eds)
Between Ethnography and Fiction: Verrier Elwin and the Tribal Question in India, New Delhi:
Orient Longman

Srinivas, M. N.1992, On Living in a Revolution and Other Essays, Delhi: OUP. Chap 1, 2, 3&5

Srinivas, M.N. 1971, Social Change in Modern India, University of California Press Berkeley
Chp 4-5

Srinivas, M.N. 1996, Indian Anthropologists and the study of Indian Society, Economic and
Political Weekly, 31(11) 656-657

Sundar, Nandini 2010 “In the Cause of Anthropology: The Life and Work of Irawati Karve‟ in
Patricia Uberoi, Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (ed) Anthropology in the East: Founders
of Indian Sociology and Anthropology, Permanent Black New Delhi

Upadhya, Carol 2010, „The Idea of an Indian Society: G.S. Ghurye and the Making of Indian
Sociology‟ in Patricia Uberoi, Satish Despande and Nandini Sundar (ed) Anthropology in the
East: Founders of Indian Sociology and Anthropology, New Delhi: Permanent Black

B. Suggested Readings

I. The following readings may be referred for debates and history of Indian Sociology

1. Dhanagare, D.N (1999), Themes and Perspectives in Indian Sociology, Delhi: Rawat
Publications Chp 7
2. Madan T N 2011, Sociological Traditions: Methods and Perspectives in the Sociology of
India, New Delhi: Sage
3. Uberoi, Patricia Despande Satish and Sundar Nandini (ed) 2010, Anthropology in the East:
Founders of Indian Sociology and Anthropology, New Delhi: Permanent Black

II. The following readings may be referred for student presentations

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1. Mukerji D.P. (1942 republished 2002), Modern Indian Culture: A Sociological Study, New
Delhi: Rupa & Co.
2. Elwin, Verrier 1952, Bondo Highlander, Bombay: OUP
3. Karve, Irawati (1969 reprinted 1991), Yuganta: The end of an epoch, Hyderbad: Disha Books
4. Karve, Irawati 1961, Hindu Society — an interpretation, Pune: Deshmukh Prakashan

Teaching Learning Process

1. Assignment, Tutorials, presentation and project works

2. Field visit to slums, communities and NGOs
3. Screening of movies followed with discussions
4. Debates, discussion and dialogues by inviting experts and guest lectures

Assessment Methods

1. Internal assessment through regular assignments and class test

2. Project assessment through field work, writing report and presentation
3. Final end term assessment through external examination

Key words:

Tradition, Indian Sociologists, India, Social Change, Class, Caste, Tribes, Religion, Social
Change

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