Social Anthropology Research Paper

ABOUT THE PAPER

The paper “The Development of Sociology and Social Anthropology in India”, co-authored by two veritable veterans of Sociology, is an account on the evolution of the field from when the name Sociology was not even applied to it in the 18th century, to modern 1970s when this paper was published. It tracks the development of both Sociology and Social Anthropology over time in India and analyses its history to discover what motivated the various stages in its development, and the similarities of Sociology and Social Anthropology that developed through that time. The paper also offers suggestions as to the roads both fields must take in the future to improve its rapidly developing prospects, keeping in mind the changes that had been

• The second, 1901-1950 AD, when it became professionalized.

• Finally, the post-independence years, when a complex of forces, including the undertaking of planned development by the government, the increased exposure of Indian scholars to the work of their foreign colleagues, and the availability of funds, resulted in considerable research activity.

In the first stage, Sociology originated from the understanding of British officials in Colonial India that the understanding of the Indian culture, a new and vastly different one to them, and the social life of Indians was required to understand Indians better, which would lead to better governance of Indians. These attempts at obtaining information pertaining to Indians were not as systematic as they were in the second

One of the examples given in the paper is that of the then Governor of Bengal and Bihar, Henry Verelst, collecting information on the most influential families in India, as well as their customs, by having his revenue collectors inquire about it in 1769. In 1774, William Jones founded the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, to study nature and man in India, among its pursuits the publication of a journal dedicated to anthropology. Subsequently, the first All – India Census of 1871 was used to capture societal & cultural norms before undergoing changes, and help in controlling epidemics, famine etc.

In the second phase of Sociology, beginning in the 20th Century, the field still relied heavily upon literature such as religious texts, native epics and books on law, though direct empirical investigation and studies based on other reports as a secondary source such as Census began gaining popularity as an indication of the sociological condition of India. Professional sociologists from outside India like Herbert Risley (Tribe caste continuum), Browne (Andaman Islanders), & Rivers (Nilgiri - Todas) started working in India on different aspects of