Indian Sociology Research Articles

Culture and Cultural Policy in Radhakamal Mukerjee and Indian Sociology: Text in Context

Culture and Cultural Policy in Radhakamal Mukerjee and Indian Sociology: Text in Context

The promise of public sociology in India: Looking at Burawoy and beyond

AbstractThe trajectory of the academic discipline of sociology is an attestation to the quest for civility and sociability. We believe that the promise of public sociology will rejuvenate scholars to commit to better engagement with one another and with the public. We situate and draw from the scholarly contributions of Michael Burawoy to reflect on sociology's longstanding critical imagination, hoping that the world could be different. We place ourselves on the continuum of what is and what ought to be for better lived experiences and a sustainable planet. We draw from the work of sociologists in India, which continues to guide us to amplify the voices of the unheard and the issues of public concern. To be inclusive, sustainable, democratic, and humane, we need to move beyond structurally ingrained processes within academia and make bridges that are open to all. The deliberation furthered in this paper will encourage young scholars to be more concerned for engaging multiple publics and, thereby, help the discipline of sociology itself.

Globalization in Indian sociology: The invisible and the hypervisible

AbstractThis paper seeks to examine the new empirical realities in India that globalization has ushered in and to explore the reasons for the hypervisibility of some of these realities and the neglect of others. The two interrelated questions that this paper asks of Indian sociology are: Why did a globalization propelled by the rise of new urban spaces, an expanding middle class, and a culture of consumption draw so much attention from Indian sociology? And why was the simultaneous crisis of rural society, the precarious nature of labor, and the rise of cultural nationalism and its parochial bigotry so little taken into account? I suggest that the answers to these questions may be found in (i) the dominant intellectual traditions of Indian sociology; and (ii) its everyday local practices. This twofold approach stems from an understanding that Indian sociology’s tryst with globalization cannot be understood by a restricted focus on intellectual ideas alone but through the convoluted ways that the concept of globalization travelled into our classrooms, our syllabi and our common sense.

The Brahmanisation of Indian Sociology or the Birth of the Racial Theories of Untouchability

This article shows how untouchability was framed as an ethnographic problem largely through a racial and Brahmanical perspective by looking at some of the main interventions made by British and Indian social scientists on this topic, such as H.H. Risley, G.S. Ghurye and Radhakamal Mukerjee. Dalit traditions, knowledge and theories about their origin were discarded and suffered an epistemicide. Reassessing the history of untouchability as an ethnographic concept is critical as the influence of these theories can still be perceived not only in common understandings about the origin of Dalits but also in the way sociology and anthropology are practised in India.

Hundred Years of Sociology in India: Mapping the Trajectory

Hundred years is not a very long time in the journey of any discipline. Yet, sociology in India seems to have covered a considerable distance in a comparatively short time as the country witnessed unprecedented incidents in the 19th and 20th centuries of colonial rule, the rise of nationalism leading to India’s independence and subsequent efforts at development and nation-building. The works of the British administrators, orientalists, missionaries, and Western scholars earlier, and of the Indian pioneers and other sociologists soon after provided fertile ground for the establishment of sociology in India. The first department of sociology and civics was started in 1919 at Bombay University and since then there has been no looking back as the subject has been established well in the country, academically, and professionally. Besides the role of educational institutions and government bodies, the Indian Sociological Society (ISS) set up in 1951 provided a platform for scholars from across the country and outside to discuss, debate, share and write about contemporary issues. As the context of Indian society changed, the subject matter, methods, theoretical perspectives and debates around the discipline also went through a transformation. This article is an attempt at mapping the trajectory of 100 years of sociology in India and discerning its status as an academic discipline, as well as its relevance for policy-making, and for society at large.

Universalising Sociology: Lessons From Radhakamal Mukerjee

Even though Radhakamal Mukerjee is recognised as a founding father of sociology in India, he has remained a neglected figure in his own country. This lecture attempts to make his major writings more accessible. They are seen in the context of his life as he lived it, with an emphasis on some formative influences, biographical and societal, of his early life. This leads to an argument about his writings that highlights his overriding concern with universalising sociology by overcoming its narrowness so that it may contribute to the welfare of humanity. It is further argued that he is relevant to us at present in the face of the challenges of environmental degradation, the persisting pandemic, war, and our tendency to face these challenges not with truth but with falsehoods.

Impact of Sanskritization on The Folk Rituals in Ancient Tamil Nadu

Sanskritization is a particular form of social change found in India. It denotes the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to passing in anthropological terms. This term was made popular by Indian sociologist M. N. Srinivas in the 1950s.The cultural elements of the Aryans slowly penetrated into the society of Dravidians. This cultural assimilation and integration were known as Aryanization or Sanskritization. It had a strong impact on Tamil Language, Tamil Religion and radical changes in the society. Tamil people worshipped food grain, since it is their source of living. They wereall deified in different forms such as foodgrains, human and metalimages. In ancient Tamilagam, the Kalabhras adopted Anti- Brahmanical attitude and suppressed the domination of Sanskrit. During the Pallava period, the earlier folk-worship disappeared and the new form of Brahmanical worship gradually started. Throughout the history of Tamil Nādu Sanskritic Hinduism had absorbed local and folk elements. The patronisation of the rulers of Pallavas, Cholas, and Pandyas and the construction of grand structural temples made the Sanskritization of worship to be very strong. It was not helped to the subalterns to move up in the social hierarchy. Further it degraded the position of subalterns. Hence, itreceives various types of opposition in later period. But the Hindu revivalism was possible in ancient Tamil Nadu during the period of Pallavas and Imperial Cholas because of adapting Sanskritization form of worship.

The Indian contribution to organizational institutionalism: implications for organizational theorizing

PurposeOrganization studies in India has largely remained insular to the writings of Indian scholars in parent disciplines such as sociology. The lack of engagement with Indian sociological works has promoted excessive dependence on Euro–American theory. It has further hindered the development of indigenous theories. This paper aims to argue that engagement with the writings of classical and contemporary Indian sociologists can resolve this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe paper delineates the contribution of Indian sociologists to organizational or sociological institutionalism. It focuses specifically on the contribution of these scholars concerning two subtopics: conceptualization of institutions and fields, and the dynamics of institutional change.FindingsThe paper draws upon the work of Indian sociologists to develop a concept of ecological field. It further delves into the dynamic interplay between ideas and institutional change. More precisely, it draws attention to the role of actors and mechanisms that produce ideas.Originality/valueFuture studies can leverage the contribution of Indian scholars to explicate, elaborate and develop creative theories of organizational institutionalism. Such cumulative efforts can help in building an Indian tradition of organizational institutionalism.

On the Foibles of Indian Sociology: Some Suggestions Towards Their Rectification

Evolving a clear conception of Indian society is the primary task of Indian sociologists. This can be achieved by avoiding the conflation of polity and society. Several components of Indian society remain excluded or inadequately analysed. These are Adivasis, Dalits, Dravidians, religious minorities, women, etc. The differentiation between sociology and social/cultural anthropology, an extension of the Euro-American practice, inadequate internalisation of professional values by a section of Indian sociologists, the excessive academic significance attributed to a handful of sociologists, the persistence of the traditional guru–shishya relationships, reluctance on the part of some ‘eminent’ sociologists to accept professional responsibilities, reluctance to undertake analysis of new areas of research and employ new techniques of data collection, resistance to accept criticisms of the ‘nation,’ etc., are some of the major foibles which prevent sociology from flourishing in India.

A Critical Look at Indian Queer Sociology: novel approach

This study makes an attempt to queer Indian sociology. Queering encompasses the viewpoints of individuals who do not conform or do not desire to adhere to the heterosexual or hetero-gender thinking, or both. Non-conformity to established gender and sexual norms in a particular culture has significant implications for non-conforming individuals, which can range from physical assault to various exclusions, stigma, and marginalisation. Since the early 1990s, activists in India have been mobilising against unfairness, stigma, and abuses suffered by the sexually marginalised. Popularly termed as the LGBTQI movement or movements of "sexual minorities," these mobilizations across South Asia have brought to light numerous unpleasant and hazardous trajectories that comprise the very existence of these sexually marginalised people.

Indian Sociology and Anthropology Between a Decolonising Quest and the West

This paper analyses the scientific knowledge production of Indian anthropologist/sociologist Irawati Karve (1905-1970) against the backdrop of India’s decolonisation. I shed light on her efforts to engage with internationally validated social scientific knowledge and to adapt it to local and national questions and traditions of inquiry. Through an analysis of her work’s reception, which includes sharp criticism by Louis Dumont, I discuss how Karve’s efforts were restricted not only by an international system of validation majorly influenced by scholars in centres in the global North, but also by the pervading colonial legacy of anthropology. Thinking with Karve’s case as an example of a double bind between nationalising/indigenising impulses in the creation of scientific knowledge and global inequalities in the geopolitics of international science, I reflect on the difficult position occupied by sociologists and anthropologists in the global South in response to the quest of decolonising knowledge.

The History of Student Movements in India: A Sociological Account

This research work is an attempt to present a brief historical and sociological account of student movements in colonial and post-colonial India. This article deals with the aspect of Indian history and Indian sociology that has long been ignored, that is, student movements in India. Another reason to record this history is that students and student movements in India have either become the reason or have marked their presence on several occasions of social and political change in India. In this article, we have covered the major student movements of pre- and post-colonial India while discussing various events that either influenced or were catalysed by various student movements in different time periods. This research article also emphasizes and accounts the changes student movements have gone through over a period of time.

The Interfacing History and Narrative Representation of Bengali Dalit Refugeehood in Jatin Bala’sStories of Social Awakening: Reflections of Dalit Refugee Lives of Bengal

Bengali Dalit refugees and refugeehood fall under the less discussed chapter in the streamlined flow of history and narratives. Often within the hegemonic macro-narratives of partition, the ‘common minimal narratives’ (Kaur, 2008, Narrative absence: An ‘Untouchable’ account of partition migration. Contributions to Indian Sociology, vol. 42, p. 286) of the Bengali Dalit refugees get suppressed and subsided. The Dalit refugee accounts contribute a significant lot to the constructing cartographies of history. The article focuses on the representation of Dalit refugees in the anthology Stories of Social Awakening: Reflections of Dalit Refugee Lives in Bengal (2017) by the refugee author Jatin Bala. While providing a vent for polyphonic refugee voices, Bala creates an interface of history and narrative representation of the existential and identity crisis of Dalit refugees with concepts of resettlement and partitioning reality, violence, trauma memory and struggle for sustenance. The study extends its inquiry to the much curious trajectory of history and narrative of Bengali Dalit refugeehood; how the lopsided relationship and crucial junctures between the objective history and the subjective narrative representations make interplay of past and present in portraying violence and memory in the lives of the Dalit refugees. The study also explores how the narrative short fictions deconstruct the ‘essential victimhood’ of the refugees who rise above the harrowing experiences of the spatiotemporal boundary of history and reconstruct the fractured identities to be the true conscious souls of the society in building solidarity.

A Paradigm Shift in Indian Sociology: Seminal Contributions of Professor Yogendra Singh

Since this is the First Memorial Lecture in honour of Professor Yogendra Singh, the author has briefly reflected on the persona of Singh. Certainly, his outstanding contributions in reshaping of Indian sociology are the main focus of this article. Professor Singh was quite distinct from sociologists and social scientists of his times, as a human being, and as a teacher, researcher and author. In the 1960s, he attempted a systematic analysis of Indian sociology. Over a period of half a century, Professor Singh conducted studies on a wide range of themes, such as village life, social stratification, youth, culture, urbanization, nonviolence and peace, professions, social movements, tradition and modernity, globalization, and social conditioning of Indian sociology. Of all this, Singh’s main contribution lies in his ability to conceptualise empirical studies and narratives and examine the relevance of pre-given concepts and theories at the ground level. Based on his vast knowledge of sociological concepts, theories and thoughts, he was often mentioned as ‘an incurable theorist’. His books, such as Modernization of Indian Tradition (1973), Concepts and Theories of Social Change (1974a), Image of Man: Ideology and Theory in Indian Sociology (1984c) and Indian Sociology: Social Conditioning and Emerging Concerns (1986b) speak of Singh’s concern for reshaping of Indian sociology. Singh was a liberal social scientist, a centrist, as he followed a middle path, as reflected in his pragmatic eclecticism. Singh has attempted constructive criticisms of culturological studies, while providing a review of paradigms and theoretic orientations and periodization in Indian sociology. He states that there is no succession of paradigms and theoretic orientations. There is co-existence of competing paradigms and orientations. There are no master theories. Singh discusses Indian sociology ranging from being ‘consensual to dialectical-historical’ to ‘critical’ and symbolic-phenomenological orientations. In this context, he talks of a world view of sociology and the challenge of post-modernity, and challenges to globalization, identity and economic development. Regarding social change, Singh refers to a three-fold classification of approaches, namely, evolutionary, cultural and structural approaches. In addition to these, Singh also emphasises on cognitive-historical and institutional approaches. In regard to the study of social change and development, Singh reflects on issues, such as a quality of life for citizens, levels of social justice, economic security, harmony among social groups, nation-state, uneven incomes, disintegration, and crises and impediments in Indian society. Author concludes Professor Singh’s seminal contributions in terms of his liberal thinking and all-inclusive approach. Singh had an open mind, without an ideological or statist command. He developed his own unique method of understanding, interpretation, analysis and conceptualisation. He has written with passion on Indian sociology. Singh has analysed ideology, theory and method in Indian sociology from the 1950s till the second decade of the 21st century. Singh has made a search for ‘social’, ‘social relations’ and ‘society’. He has connected ‘form’ with ‘substance’, and vice-a-versa. Singh had no camouflage or the smoke screen of jargon and no hidden agenda.

A ‘Southern’ Perspective: Historical Sociology and Sociology in India

A ‘Southern’ Perspective: Historical Sociology and Sociology in India

The ‘Economic’ in Indian Sociology: Genealogies, Disjunctions and Agenda

A cursory glance at the century-old history of Indian sociology reveals its relative under-engagement with economic phenomena and processes. Although the ‘economic’ did get studied under the influence of agrarian and village studies, and certain apparently economic themes such as industry and labour did attract scholarly attention from some sociologists, we notice the absence of a sustained and robust academic tradition of sociological studies of the economy in India. There appears to have been an intellectual division of labour, where the study of economic issues was ceded to economists whereas sociologists remained jubilant with their studies of primordial institutions. This study attempts to locate this persistent disjunction between the social and the economic from the perspective of the disciplinary history. Of necessity, this calls for an examination of the relationship between sociology and economics, and the way it unfolded in post-independence India. To this end, this study discusses the role of the developmental state, the prevailing notions of expertise, and the differential treatment accorded to different social sciences’ disciplines. The paper concludes with the outlining of a disciplinary agenda for the sociological study of the ‘economic’.

Partha Nath Mukherji (1940–2021): The Scholar and His Scholarship

This essay is a tribute to the memory of Partha Nath Mukherji (1940–2021), the past President of the Indian Sociological Society (2004–2005). After briefly tracing his scholarly career, it provides an overview of his sociological contributions spanning almost six decades. His oeuvre covered a variety of themes and issues, both empirical and theoretical, which can be categorised under the following rubrics: social movements and social change, sociology of agrarian relations, democratic decentralisation and panchayats, nationalism and nation-building, research methodology, indigenisation of the social sciences, regional (South Asian) sociology, and the question of approach and relevance in Indian sociology.

The fabric of Post-Western sociology: ecologies of knowledge beyond the \u201cEast\u201d and the \u201cWest\u201d

For several centuries, the history of the West has merged with the history of the world. The global economy of knowledge is structured around epistemic inequalities, hegemonies, and dominations. A clear division of scientific practices has developed among academic “peripheries,” “semi-peripheries,” and “core.” The question of epistemic injustice, which includes the indigenization of knowledge, was posed very early in the twentieth century in China, Japan, and Korea without being linked to coloniality, which was the case in Indian sociology. Based on the production of an epistemology shared with Chinese sociologists, we proposed a Post-Western sociology to enable a dialogue—on a level footing—addressing common concepts. This sociology also addresses concepts situated in European and Asian theories that consider the modes of creating continuities and discontinuities as well as the conjunctions and disjunctions between the knowledge spaces situated in different social contexts. We aim to fill the gaps between these social contexts. We will describe an ecology of knowledge in the Western-West, the non-Western-West, the semi-Western West, the Western East, the Eastern East, and the re-Easternized East situated on an epistemological continuum. While Chinese sociology has constantly oscillated between indigenization and universalism, and while epistemic autonomies are diverse, Chinese sociologists agree that Western sociologies should not be considered hostile to Chinese sociology. We will offer a definition of Post-Western sociology and demonstrate how it can be theoretically and methodologically applied. We will then identify some transnational theories, theoretical discontinuities and continuities, and common knowledge situated in Western and non-Western contexts.

Nationalist Ideas and the Colonial Episteme: The Antinomies Structuring Sociological Traditions of India

AbstractThe paper traces the growth of sociology in India through three phases. The first phase, it argues, begins in the 30s with the slow consolidation of the discipline. In this phase, sociology was associated with the Indological perspective and the social was perceived in culturist terms and analysed through the prism of the past, in and through Sanskrit texts. In the second phase, which begins in the early 60s, when University education expands in India, this indigenous perspective is re‐framed. There is a shift from textual studies to empirical investigation and the village becomes the site for studying Indian civilization. This paper makes a detailed analysis of the social anthropological perspective of M.N. Srinivas whose theories on village and caste influenced the sociological imagination in this phase. The third phase starts in the late 70s with the growth of social movements of the subalterns which challenge the received culturist nationalist sociological imagination. Today sociology together with other social sciences are at crossroads in India due to the impact of neoliberalism. The latter has encouraged privatisation of education, decreased state funding in material and human resources and an increased state control on academia. All three have affected the autonomy of the teachers and as well the University system and thus the efforts to chart a new sociological imagination in which the Indian social is perceived in global comparative terms. It is difficult to assess which turn sociology in India will take in these circumstances.

Social movement studies in India, within and beyond sociology: Proposing postcolonial political sociology as an evolving framework

The social movement theories, particularly emerged since the late 1960s and the empirical studies informed by these theories occupy a decisive space in the current sociological studies of social movements. Often, the theories that emerged in the American and European contexts overlooked the significance of ‘political sociology’ as a theoretical terrain while conceptualizing contemporary social movements. Thus, this paper attempted to reinvent the significance of political sociology in two-ways: a) it critically engaging with the classical tradition of political sociology; b) critical scrutiny of the major trends appeared in the sub-field of social movements within the disciplinary domain of sociology in India since the 1980s has been undertaken. Given this, the paper recognizes the theoretical urge for a new framework to understand social movements in reference to the specificities of the non-Western societies like India, and thereby proposes an approach termed as the postcolonial political sociology of social movements.