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The NCERT Class 11 Sociology Chapter 5: Indian Sociologists from Understanding Society explores the contributions of pioneering Indian sociologists in shaping the discipline in the Indian context. It examines how these scholars adapted sociology to address India’s unique historical, social, and colonial experiences, including modernity under colonial rule and post-independence nation-building. The chapter highlights key figures and their role in institutionalising sociology in India. These notes summarise key concepts and sociological perspectives for better revision.
Table of Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Pioneers of Indian Sociology
- 3 G.S. Ghurye: Institutionalising Sociology
- 4 D.P. Mukerji: Tradition and Change
- 5 A.R. Desai: Marxism and the State
- 6 M.N. Srinivas: Village Studies
- 7 Conclusion
- 8 Discussion Questions
- 9 Important Definitions in NCERT Class 11 Sociology Chapter 5: Indian Sociologists Notes
- 10 FAQs
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Introduction
This section introduces the emergence of sociology in India and the challenges faced by its pioneers in defining its role in a colonial and post-independence context.
Definition: Sociology in India, established formally in 1919 at the University of Bombay, is a discipline that studies Indian society in the context of colonial subjugation, modernity, and cultural diversity.
Characteristics:
- Sociology in India is relatively young, with formal teaching beginning in 1919 at Bombay University, followed by Calcutta and Lucknow in the 1920s.
- Early sociologists debated the relevance of Western sociology, which focused on modernity, in India, a colony experiencing modernity through colonial subjugation.
- Social anthropology in India faced questions about studying “primitive” societies within an ancient, advanced civilisation.
- Pioneers had to formulate new questions to adapt sociology to India’s historical and social context, especially post-independence, with planned development and democracy.
- Early sociologists, like L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer and Sarat Chandra Roy, were often self-taught, entering the discipline by accident and laying the foundation for Indian sociology.
Significance: Understanding the Indian context helped sociologists address pressing social issues, such as caste, tribal integration, and nation-building.
Example: The question of whether sociology was needed in India was debated in the early 20th century, as its Western origins did not fully align with India’s colonial and cultural realities.
Pioneers of Indian Sociology
This section discusses early figures like L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer and Sarat Chandra Roy, who practised sociology and anthropology before formal institutions existed.
Definition: Pioneers of Indian sociology were self-taught scholars who began sociological and anthropological work in the early 1900s, adapting Western disciplines to India’s context.
Characteristics:
- L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer (1861–1937):
- Began as a clerk and teacher in Cochin, later assisting with an ethnographic survey in 1902 on a voluntary basis.
- Worked as Superintendent of Ethnography in Cochin and Mysore, earning recognition from British anthropologists.
- Became Reader at the University of Calcutta, helping establish India’s first post-graduate anthropology department.
- Received an honorary doctorate from a German university and titles like Rao Bahadur and Dewan Bahadur.
- Sarat Chandra Roy (1871–1942):
- A lawyer who moved to Ranchi in 1898, becoming an expert on Chhotanagpur’s tribal societies (e.g., Oraon, Mundas, Kharias).
- Conducted extensive fieldwork as an “amateur” anthropologist, publishing over 100 articles and monographs.
- Founded Man in India (1922), India’s earliest anthropological journal, still in publication.
- Both worked under British rule, without formal sociological institutions, relying on personal initiative and fieldwork.
- Their work laid the groundwork for later sociologists like G.S. Ghurye, D.P. Mukerji, A.R. Desai, and M.N. Srinivas.
Significance: Iyer and Roy demonstrated how sociology could be practised in India, addressing tribal cultures and colonial contexts, paving the way for institutionalised sociology.
Example: Roy’s fieldwork among Chhotanagpur tribes resulted in authoritative monographs, making him a leading figure in Indian anthropology.
Also Read:
- NCERT Class 11 Understanding Society Chapter 3: Environment and Society Solutions (Free PDF)
- NCERT Class 11 Understanding Society Chapter 2: Social Change and Social Order in Rural and Urban Society Solutions (Free PDF)
G.S. Ghurye: Institutionalising Sociology
This section examines G.S. Ghurye’s role as the founder of institutionalised sociology in India and his work on caste, race, and tribal societies.
Definition: G.S. Ghurye (1890s–) is considered the founder of Indian sociology, establishing it as a formal discipline through his leadership at Bombay University and his extensive writings.
Characteristics:
- Headed India’s first post-graduate sociology department at Bombay University for 35 years, training numerous scholars.
- Founded the Indian Sociological Society and its journal, Sociological Bulletin.
- Combined teaching and research, merging sociology and social anthropology into a composite discipline.
- Wrote prolifically on caste, race, marriage, religion, urbanisation, and conflict, influenced by diffusionism, Orientalist scholarship, and nationalism.
- Engaged in a debate with Verrier Elwin on tribal societies, arguing that tribes were “backwards Hindus” undergoing assimilation into Hinduism, not distinct cultural groups.
- On Caste and Race:
- In Caste and Race in India (1932), critiqued Herbert Risley’s theory that caste originated from racial differences (e.g., Indo-Aryan upper castes vs. non-Aryan lower castes).
- Argued that racial purity was preserved only in north India due to endogamy; elsewhere, racial mixing occurred over time.
- Defined caste through six features: segmental division, hierarchy, restricted social interaction, differential rights and duties, restricted occupations, and endogamy.
Significance: Ghurye’s institutional efforts and comprehensive caste definition made sociology systematic and relevant to India’s social structure.
Example: Ghurye’s view that tribes were “backwards Hindus” contrasted with British anthropologists’ protectionist stance, reflecting nationalist goals of modernisation.
D.P. Mukerji: Tradition and Change
This section explores D.P. Mukerji’s emphasis on studying Indian traditions and collective experience as agents of social change.
Definition: D.P. Mukerji (1890s–), a leading sociologist at Lucknow University, advocated for a sociology rooted in India’s social traditions, analysing change through collective experience.
Characteristics:
- Came to sociology via history and economics, influenced by Marxism, literature, music, and Indian philosophy.
- Believed India’s social system was its defining feature, with “over-developed” social dimensions compared to history or economics.
- Argued that Indian sociologists must study living traditions, which link the past to the present through adaptation.
- Emphasised collective experience (anubhava) as the primary agent of change in India, over discursive reason or economic factors.
- Identified three principles of change in Indian traditions: shruti (revealed texts), smriti (remembered texts), and anubhava (personal/collective experience).
- Noted that Indian society is group-oriented (caste, sect), not individualistic, with change occurring through collective movements like the Bhakti or Sufi traditions.
- Criticised the unthinking adoption of Western modernity, advocating a critical engagement with both tradition and modernity.
Significance: Mukerji’s focus on tradition and collective experience provided a framework for understanding social change in India’s group-oriented society.
Example: The Bhakti movement challenged orthodox traditions through collective experience, transforming Hinduism without breaking its continuity.
A.R. Desai: Marxism and the State
This section discusses A.R. Desai’s Marxist perspective on Indian nationalism and his critique of the welfare state.
Definition: A.R. Desai (1910s–), a Marxist sociologist, analysed Indian society through economic processes and class dynamics, focusing on the state and nationalism.
Characteristics:
- A lifelong Marxist, involved in political parties, but resigned from the Communist Party of India, associating with non-mainstream Marxist groups.
- Studied under Ghurye at Bombay University, with his doctoral dissertation published as The Social Background of Indian Nationalism (1948).
- Analysed Indian nationalism through a Marxist lens, emphasising economic processes and British colonialism’s impact.
- On the Welfare State:
- Critiqued the notion of the welfare state in his essay “The Myth of the Welfare State,” defining it as a positive, democratic, mixed-economy state.
- Proposed test criteria: freedom from poverty, reduced inequality, community-driven economy, stable development, and full employment.
- Found that welfare states (e.g., Britain, USA) failed to meet these criteria, with persistent poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
- Advocated for democracy and political liberties in socialist states, criticising Communist states’ shortcomings.
Significance: Desai’s Marxist analysis highlighted economic and class dimensions in Indian sociology, offering a critical perspective on state policies.
Example: Desai’s critique of the welfare state showed that even developed countries failed to eliminate poverty, challenging claims of equitable development.
M.N. Srinivas: Village Studies
This section highlights M.N. Srinivas’s contributions to village studies and his adaptation of British social anthropology to the Indian context.
Definition: M.N. Srinivas (1910s–), a leading post-independence sociologist, focused on village society and ethnographic methods, establishing Indian sociology globally.
Characteristics:
- Earned doctorates from Bombay and Oxford, influenced by British social anthropology’s structural-functional perspective.
- Published Religion and Society among the Coorgs of South India, establishing his international reputation.
- Founded sociology departments at Baroda and Delhi, training a new generation of sociologists.
- Conducted fieldwork in a Mysore village, shaping his focus on village society.
- Promoted village studies in the 1950s–60s, with ethnographic accounts and conceptual debates about the village as a social unit.
- Argued that villages were historically significant, unifying entities, contra Louis Dumont’s view that caste was more important.
- Critiqued the British view of villages as unchanging “little republics,” showing their economic, social, and political connections at the regional level.
Significance: Srinivas’s village studies made sociology relevant to a modernising India, illustrating rapid rural change through ethnographic methods.
Example: Srinivas’s fieldwork in Mysore provided vivid accounts of village life, informing urban Indians and policymakers about rural transformations.
Conclusion
This section summarises the contributions of Indian sociologists in shaping a distinctive Indian sociology.
Characteristics:
- G.S. Ghurye institutionalised sociology, focusing on caste and tribal assimilation, rooted in classical texts and nationalism.
- D.P. Mukerji emphasised tradition and collective experience, advocating a critical engagement with modernity.
- A.R. Desai applied Marxist analysis to nationalism and the state, critiquing welfare state shortcomings.
- M.N. Srinivas adapted Western anthropology to study Indian villages, promoting ethnographic research.
- These sociologists “Indianized” the discipline, addressing India’s colonial and post-independence challenges.
- Succeeding generations have built on and critiqued their work, advancing Indian sociology.
Significance: The diverse approaches of these sociologists ensured sociology’s relevance in understanding India’s social complexities.
Example: Srinivas’s village studies provided policymakers with insights into rural India during planned development.
Also Read:
- NCERT Class 11 Sociology Chapter 2: Terms, Concepts, and Their Use in Sociology Notes (Free PDF)
- NCERT Class 11 Sociology Chapter 1 Sociology And Society Notes (Free PDF)
Discussion Questions
This section highlights key discussion points to deepen understanding of Indian sociology’s evolution.
Questions and Insights:
- Role of Sociology in Colonial India:
- How did colonial subjugation shape the development of sociology in India?
- Sociology addressed modernity under colonial constraints, focusing on caste, tribes, and nationalism.
- Tribal Societies:
- Why did Ghurye view tribes as “backwards Hindus” rather than distinct groups?
- This perspective reflected nationalist goals of unity and modernisation, contrasting with British protectionist views.
- Tradition vs. Modernity:
- How did Mukerji balance tradition and modernity in his sociological approach?
- He advocated studying living traditions while critically engaging with Western modernity.
- Village Studies:
- Why were village studies significant in post-independence India?
- They provided ethnographic insights into rural change, aiding nation-building efforts.
Significance: These questions highlight how Indian sociologists adapted Western frameworks to address local issues like caste, tradition, and rural transformation.
Example: Ghurye’s debate with Elwin on tribal assimilation reflected broader tensions between nationalism and cultural preservation.
Important Definitions in NCERT Class 11 Sociology Chapter 5: Indian Sociologists Notes
This section lists key terms of the NCERT Class 11 Sociology Chapter 5: Indian Sociologists for clarity and revision.
- Sociology in India: A discipline established in 1919, studying Indian society in the context of colonial and post-independence challenges.
- Social Anthropology: The study of Indian societies, including tribes, adapted from Western curiosity about “primitive” cultures.
- Caste: A system of segmental division, hierarchy, restricted interaction, differential rights, restricted occupations, and endogamy.
- Tradition: A living system linking the past to the present, adapting through collective experience (anubhava).
- Welfare State: A positive, democratic, mixed-economy state aiming to ensure social and economic security.
- Village Studies: Ethnographic research on Indian villages, highlighting their social, economic, and political dynamics.
- Indian Nationalism: A movement shaped by economic processes and colonial conditions, analysed through a Marxist lens.
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FAQs
Colonial subjugation shaped sociology by raising questions about modernity, tribal societies, and caste, requiring pioneers to adapt Western frameworks to India’s unique context.
Ghurye institutionalised sociology through Bombay University, founded the Indian Sociological Society, and provided a systematic definition of caste, emphasising its hierarchical and endogamous nature.
Mukerji believed India’s “over-developed” social system required studying living traditions, with collective experience (anubhava) as the primary agent of change, rather than Western-style individualism.
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