Key Points

Formal university teaching of sociology in India began in 1919 at the University of Bombay, followed by the universities of Calcutta and Lucknow in the 1920s. Initially, there was uncertainty about the role and nature of an Indian sociology.

L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer (1861-1937) was a self-taught anthropologist who conducted ethnographic surveys for the states of Cochin and Mysore. He was a pioneer who helped establish the first post-graduate anthropology department at the University of Calcutta.

Sarat Chandra Roy (1871-1942) was a lawyer who became an authority on the tribal peoples of the Chhotanagpur region. He founded the academic journal 'Man in India' in 1922.

G.S. Ghurye (1893-1983) is considered the founder of institutionalised sociology in India. He headed the Department of Sociology at Bombay University for 35 years and founded the Indian Sociological Society in 1951.

Ghurye argued that Indian tribes were 'backward Hindus' and part of a continuous process of assimilation into Hindu society. This nationalist view opposed the British administrator-anthropologists' stance that tribes were distinct, primitive cultures needing protection.

In 'Caste and Race in India' (1932), Ghurye critiqued Herbert Risley's racial theory of caste. He argued that while upper castes in North India might be Aryan, extensive racial mixing had occurred in the rest of the country.

Ghurye provided a comprehensive definition of caste with six features: segmental division, hierarchy, restrictions on social interaction (especially food), differential rights and duties, restricted choice of occupation, and strict rules on marriage (endogamy).

D.P. Mukerji (1894-1961) argued that the defining feature of India is its social system, rooted in tradition. He described Indian tradition as a 'living tradition' that maintains links with the past while adapting to the present.

Mukerji identified three principles of change in Indian tradition: shruti (revelation), smriti (remembered texts), and anubhava (personal experience). He believed that collective 'anubhava' was the most powerful revolutionary principle for social change in India.

A.R. Desai (1915-1994) was a lifelong Marxist sociologist known for his work 'The Social Background of Indian Nationalism'. He applied a Marxist analysis, emphasizing economic processes and class divisions in the context of British colonialism.

Desai called the 'welfare state' a myth, arguing that modern capitalist states fail to provide economic security, reduce inequality, or prevent economic crises. He believed they primarily serve the interests of the capitalist class.

Desai identified three main features claimed by a welfare state: it is a positive and interventionist state, it is democratic, and it has a mixed economy with both private and public enterprises.

M.N. Srinivas (1916-1999) was a key figure in promoting village studies in Indian sociology. He believed the village was a crucial social entity for research and provided a site to observe rapid social change in independent India.

Srinivas refuted the colonial idea of the Indian village as an unchanging, self-sufficient 'little republic'. He used historical and sociological evidence to show that villages were dynamic and integrated into regional economic and political networks.

Srinivas was a major institution builder, establishing renowned sociology departments at Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda and later at the Delhi School of Economics. His work helped place Indian sociology on the global map.