About the
Book
Book 1
Book 2
Book 1
The aim of this course on
Sociology in India is to bring to the knowledge of its students the conditions
in which this discipline came to emerge and grow in India. It attempts to bring
out the major viewpoints or perspectives on different issues often
inter-related concerning Indian society and its culture- such as, caste;
family, marriage and kinship; class, caste and gender; tribes in India and
religion. It explains to the students the various processes of social change in
Indian society, such as, the processes of urbanisation, globalisation and
migration and also touches upon major perspectives on social movements.
The course explains how
sociologists and their different approaches to study Indian society have
provided a rich matrix of sociological, Indological
and ethnological literature. There have been debates and arguments regarding
the nature of social reality in India and how and what should be studied to
understand it. One of the most famous debates in Indian Sociology concerns the
arguments of Louis Dumont and Pocock on the one hand
and their critics, including F.G. Bailey on the other. Dumont (1970 : 1-32)
believed that Sociology in India is that specialised branch which stands at the
confluence of Indology and Sociology, which he
advocated as the right kind of "mix" prerequisite to the
understanding of Indian society (Dhanagare, 1993 :
10) He and Pocock had presented their views (in
Contributions to Indian Sociology, Vol. I : 1957)
emphasising Indology and viewing it as a close ally
of sociological explanation and analysis. They believed that territorial units
like villages and regions must be given up in the field of sociological enquiry
and instead sociologists must take up sociological categories like caste and
kinship. It was their belief that sociological reality cannot be completely
understood by empiricism alone, since it is both external (objective) and
internal (meaningful and subjective). Therefore, it was important that
Sociology should analyse both these aspects. Thereby, the cultural study of a
society was very important, in their view, in every scientific sociological
study.
Thus, according to Dumont
and Pocock, Indian village studies are based on a
false abstraction on territorial basis. In reality, Indian society has been a
unity but a cultural unity rather than a geographical unity. They believed that
'Sociology in India' or 'Sociology for India' would be possible by
understanding the unique cultural foundation of Indian society and its
sociological ramifications. (Unnithan,
T.K.N. Et Singh Y. et. al 1967: 29).
Dumont and Pocock were criticised by others such as F.G. Bailey, for
being non-sociological, and for suggesting that Sociology must include the
study of Ideas' rather than 'relations'. Bailey believed that D'umont and Pocock had reduced
Sociology to 'culturology' or Sociology of values.
This viewpoint restricts one's understanding of distinction between caste and
tribe, since e frame of reference here is cultural and Indological
rather than sociological. also negates the existence
of Indian villages as a social reality. Also, portant
sociological categories like bureaucracy, feudalism etc. do not find place in
this approach to Sociology in India (Unnithan, T.K.N.
Et Singh Y. et. 11967 : 29).
This kind of debate
regarding the understanding of social reality in India has been continuing for
years. Different sociologists have taken up different theoretical approaches
like structure functionalism, structuralism, Marxism etc. to understand
different aspects of society in India. The different perspectives on the major
issues concerning Indian society have been explained and analysed in this
course through the works of different sociologists/social anthropologists.
Thus, the theoretical underpinnings of the approaches to Indian social reality
must be kept in mind by the students while addressing the different topics
discussed in this course.
The first block of this
course, Block 1: Emergence of Sociology in India describes the social
background of the emergence of Sociology in India, the contributions of
different scholars and thinkers- both from Europe and India and the
circumstances in which Sociology as a discipline emerged. Here the professional
growth of Sociology and the socio-historical background of its development,
etc. have been explained. Since Indian society has been and continues to be
largely agrarian, village studies in India were considered to be one of the
most crucial areas in understanding Indian society. Therefore, from the 1920s
till the 1960s, village studies have been most prominent. The last unit of this
block explains the major village studies that have been undertaken in India.
Block 2: Perspectives on
Caste once again focuses on one of the most crucial aspects of society in
India. Often the caste system had been considered to be the most pronounced and
crucial reality of the Indian social structure. It was the Portuguese, who gave
this social division in Indian society, especially the Hindu society, the name
of ' caste'. However, from the colonial period itself, caste stratification has
been identified as the most important social reality and it is said that
'class' was subsumed by 'caste' in India for a very long time. Caste has been
viewed by different sociologists in different ways. In this block first the
colonial perspective and the Brahminical perspective on caste have been explained. Since there is
also a different view of caste which is from 'below', these have been presented
in the units 'View from the Field' and 'Ambedkar and Lohia on Caste'. Another equally significant view of caste
is the 'Census Perspective' which is treated separately.
The third block, Block 3:
Perspectives on Family, Marriage and Kinship describes the nature of family,
marriage and kinship in India, how they are understood by sociologists in India
and how they have changed over time. The concept of the household as a
co-operating and conflicting unit has been analysed. Also, the changing
patterns of marriage in India have been explained. From the perspective of
kinship, we analyse the major types of descent and alliance approaches in
India. These have been critically analysed in this block.
Block 4: Perspectives on
Class, Caste and Gender once again focuses on the crucial features of social
stratification in the Indian society. Social stratification has' been presented
in terms of the class aspect, the caste aspect and the gender issue. There are
four units in this block dealing with topics such as Agrarian Class Categories,
the Working Class, the Middle Class, and Gender, Caste and Class.
Block 5: Perspectives on
Tribes in India offers you an understanding of the nature and types of tribes
in India. How tribes are interlinked with territory, their common property
resources and there socio political status is discussed. The link between tribe
and caste is also explained. The major policy debates on the nature of tribes
in India and how they should be protected and/or preserved have been dealt with
in the light of the Verrier Elwin and G.S. Ghurey debates. Finally, this block deals with the nature
of differentiation among tribes.
Studies on the Sociology of
religion appeared somewhat late in Indian Sociology. "Today
a significant position amongst the major topics studied by sociologists in
India. Religion and its relationship with politics becomes a critical
issue when one looks at the problem of 'communalism' in India. Religion and Culture are closely associated phenomena and the nuances of
this relationship have been explained in Block 6 Perspectives on Sociology of
Religion. How religion plays a cohesive role in some senses in a complex plural
society like India, as well as, the waysin which it
plays a divisive role are critically approached in this block. The concept of
'secularism' and how it has been understood in India is also explained at the
end of this block.
Block 7: Dynamics of Social
Processes shifts the focus from the study of; institutions like caste, class,
family" and kinship to the dynamics of social processes in India.
Processes of social change such as, urbanisation, migration, industrialisation
and globalisation have been critically reviewed in this block.
The last block of this
course, Block 8: Perspectives on Social Movements describes the meaning and
dimensions of social movements, describes the various types of social
movements, like peasant movements, socio-religious movements and women's
movement, The last two units of this block describe
the tribal working class movements, as well as, new social movements through
different case studies.
This course MSO-004 Sociology in India, like all the
other core courses of MA Programme in Sociology, will be presented to you in
the form of two books. Book 1 will have blocks from 1 to 4 and Book 2 will have
blocks form 5 to 8 as described above. You will
receive this study material in the form of two handy books.
Book 2
This is the first Block of
Book 2 of the course, Sociology in India. In Book 1 of this course, you have
learnt about the emergence of Sociology as a discipline in India. You have also
read about the early village studies in India and have become familiar with
perspectives on caste; family, marriage and' kinship. You will also read about
class, caste .arid gender.
In this Block (Block 5), a
learner is exposed to issues on the discourse of tribals
in India. The learner is introduced to the various aspects of the tribal
situation in India. The Block mainly deals with the four main aspects- tribes
and common property resources; relationship between tribes and castes;
perspectives of tribes in India after Verrier Elwin
and G.S. Ghurye, and social differentiation among
tribes.
The Block has four Units
(Units- 17, 18, 19 & 20). Brief highlights of the Units are given below.
Unit 17: Tribe, Territory
and Common Property Resources
The main objective of this
Unit is to acquaint the learner with the concepts of territory and common
property resources with special reference to tribal communities in India. The
main aspects included in this Unit are - historical development of the concept
of common property resources ('commons'), relationship of 'commons' and mixed
economy in India, population growth and 'commons', and culture of 'commons'. All
these discussions are made' with special reference to tribes in India.
Unit 18: Tribe and Caste
The Unit deals mainly with
the idea of tribe and caste as differing social categories. The discussion
demystifies some of the complex and stereotypic assumptions by sociologists and
anthropologists, by and large, of considering tribes in India as a part of
larger categories of Indian societies. In' other words, it clarifies that 'the
terms of reference in the tribal studies are not to be categories as caste, peasant
or social heterogeneity' but that they must be studied as 'groups' of the
'actual communities' they belong to and represent, such as those of the
regional communities'. In the process, of referring to the terms of reference
and clarifications, the author takes into account important aspects pertaining
to tribes and caste such as the notion and process of tribal transformation to
caste, Sanskritisation and Hinduisation
vis-a-vis tribes, language
factor in tribal identity, the issue of misconstruction of tribal identity, and
the community life of tribes.
Unit 19: Verrier
Elwin and G.S.Ghurye's Perspectives on Tribes
This Unit mainly considers
the perspectives of verrier Elwin and G.S. Ghurye on ' tribal affairs and related aspects. The Unit
begins with the framing of the tribal question with special reference to tribal
autonomy and self-rule in India. It then traces the historical background of
some of the tribal protests and movements in India. The Unit also includes a
discussion on other aspects such as reasons for non-participation of tribals in the struggle for Indian independence and
Constituent Assembly debates on tribal affairs in India.
Unit 20: Social
Differentiation among Tribes
The
idea of the Unit is to give an understanding of the notion of social
differentiation with special reference to tribes in India. The Unit takes care
of two main aspects-first, the theoretical and conceptual (definitional) part,
and second, relevant cases of social differentiation among tribes in Indi. The
Unit begins with the concept, definition and classification of social
differentiation. This is followed by a discussion of social differentiation
among tribes under various types after the factor of kinship and descent, sex,
age, rank and hierarchy, occupation, education, religion, and so on.
Contents
|
BOOK 1 |
|
Block 1 |
Emergence of Sociology In India |
|
Unit 1 |
Social Background of the
Emergence of Sociology in India |
11 |
Unit 2 |
Emergence of the
Discipline : Issues and Themes |
27 |
Unit 3 |
Village Studies in India |
40 |
Block 2 |
Perspectives On Caste |
|
Unit 4 |
The Colonial Perspective |
59 |
Unit 5 |
Brahminical Perspective |
70 |
Unit 6 |
View from the Field |
84 |
Unit 7 |
Ambedkar and Lohia on Caste |
94 |
Unit 8 |
Census Perspective |
106 |
Block 3 |
Perspectives On Family, Marriage And Kinship |
|
Unit 9 |
The Household and the
Family |
123 |
Unit 10 |
The Household as a
Cooperative-Conflicting Unit |
141 |
Unit 11 |
Marriage and Its Changing
Patterns |
152 |
Unit 12 |
Descent and Alliance
Approaches to the Study of Kinship in India |
167 |
Block 4 |
Perspectives On Class, Caste And Gender |
|
Unit 13 |
Agrarian Classes and
Categories |
197 |
Unit 14 |
The Working Class |
213 |
Unit 15 |
The Middle Class |
228 |
Unit 16 |
Gender, Caste and Class |
243 |
|
Glossary |
255 |
|
References |
257 |
|
BOOK 2 |
|
Block 5 |
Perspective On Tribes In India |
|
Unit 17 |
Tribe,
Territory and Common Property Resources |
9 |
Unit 18 |
Tribe
and Caste |
19 |
Unit 19 |
Verrier Elwin
and G.S. Ghurye's Perspectives on Tribes |
30 |
Unit 20 |
Social
Differentiation Among Tribes. |
48 |
Block 6 |
Perspective Of Sociology Of Religion |
|
Unit 21 |
Religion
and Politics |
63 |
Unit 22 |
Religion
and Culture |
77 |
Unit 23 |
Cohesive
and Divisive Dimensions of Religion |
92 |
Unit 24 |
Secularisation
|
106 |
Block 7 |
Dynamlcs Of Social Processes |
|
Unit 25 |
Urbanisation
|
119 |
Unit 26 |
Migration
|
136 |
Unit 2l |
Industrialisation
|
149 |
Unit 28 |
Globalisation
|
166 |
Block 8 |
Perspective On Social Movements |
|
Unit 29 |
Social
Movements: Meanings and Dimensions |
189 |
Unit 30 |
Types
of Social Movements |
200 |
Unit 31 |
Peasant
Movements |
214 |
Unit 32 |
New Social
Movements |
229 |
Glossary |
241 |
|
References |
243 |
About the
Book
Book 1
Book 2
Book 1
The aim of this course on
Sociology in India is to bring to the knowledge of its students the conditions
in which this discipline came to emerge and grow in India. It attempts to bring
out the major viewpoints or perspectives on different issues often
inter-related concerning Indian society and its culture- such as, caste;
family, marriage and kinship; class, caste and gender; tribes in India and
religion. It explains to the students the various processes of social change in
Indian society, such as, the processes of urbanisation, globalisation and
migration and also touches upon major perspectives on social movements.
The course explains how
sociologists and their different approaches to study Indian society have
provided a rich matrix of sociological, Indological
and ethnological literature. There have been debates and arguments regarding
the nature of social reality in India and how and what should be studied to
understand it. One of the most famous debates in Indian Sociology concerns the
arguments of Louis Dumont and Pocock on the one hand
and their critics, including F.G. Bailey on the other. Dumont (1970 : 1-32)
believed that Sociology in India is that specialised branch which stands at the
confluence of Indology and Sociology, which he
advocated as the right kind of "mix" prerequisite to the
understanding of Indian society (Dhanagare, 1993 :
10) He and Pocock had presented their views (in
Contributions to Indian Sociology, Vol. I : 1957)
emphasising Indology and viewing it as a close ally
of sociological explanation and analysis. They believed that territorial units
like villages and regions must be given up in the field of sociological enquiry
and instead sociologists must take up sociological categories like caste and
kinship. It was their belief that sociological reality cannot be completely
understood by empiricism alone, since it is both external (objective) and
internal (meaningful and subjective). Therefore, it was important that
Sociology should analyse both these aspects. Thereby, the cultural study of a
society was very important, in their view, in every scientific sociological
study.
Thus, according to Dumont
and Pocock, Indian village studies are based on a
false abstraction on territorial basis. In reality, Indian society has been a
unity but a cultural unity rather than a geographical unity. They believed that
'Sociology in India' or 'Sociology for India' would be possible by
understanding the unique cultural foundation of Indian society and its
sociological ramifications. (Unnithan,
T.K.N. Et Singh Y. et. al 1967: 29).
Dumont and Pocock were criticised by others such as F.G. Bailey, for
being non-sociological, and for suggesting that Sociology must include the
study of Ideas' rather than 'relations'. Bailey believed that D'umont and Pocock had reduced
Sociology to 'culturology' or Sociology of values.
This viewpoint restricts one's understanding of distinction between caste and
tribe, since e frame of reference here is cultural and Indological
rather than sociological. also negates the existence
of Indian villages as a social reality. Also, portant
sociological categories like bureaucracy, feudalism etc. do not find place in
this approach to Sociology in India (Unnithan, T.K.N.
Et Singh Y. et. 11967 : 29).
This kind of debate
regarding the understanding of social reality in India has been continuing for
years. Different sociologists have taken up different theoretical approaches
like structure functionalism, structuralism, Marxism etc. to understand
different aspects of society in India. The different perspectives on the major
issues concerning Indian society have been explained and analysed in this
course through the works of different sociologists/social anthropologists.
Thus, the theoretical underpinnings of the approaches to Indian social reality
must be kept in mind by the students while addressing the different topics
discussed in this course.
The first block of this
course, Block 1: Emergence of Sociology in India describes the social
background of the emergence of Sociology in India, the contributions of
different scholars and thinkers- both from Europe and India and the
circumstances in which Sociology as a discipline emerged. Here the professional
growth of Sociology and the socio-historical background of its development,
etc. have been explained. Since Indian society has been and continues to be
largely agrarian, village studies in India were considered to be one of the
most crucial areas in understanding Indian society. Therefore, from the 1920s
till the 1960s, village studies have been most prominent. The last unit of this
block explains the major village studies that have been undertaken in India.
Block 2: Perspectives on
Caste once again focuses on one of the most crucial aspects of society in
India. Often the caste system had been considered to be the most pronounced and
crucial reality of the Indian social structure. It was the Portuguese, who gave
this social division in Indian society, especially the Hindu society, the name
of ' caste'. However, from the colonial period itself, caste stratification has
been identified as the most important social reality and it is said that
'class' was subsumed by 'caste' in India for a very long time. Caste has been
viewed by different sociologists in different ways. In this block first the
colonial perspective and the Brahminical perspective on caste have been explained. Since there is
also a different view of caste which is from 'below', these have been presented
in the units 'View from the Field' and 'Ambedkar and Lohia on Caste'. Another equally significant view of caste
is the 'Census Perspective' which is treated separately.
The third block, Block 3:
Perspectives on Family, Marriage and Kinship describes the nature of family,
marriage and kinship in India, how they are understood by sociologists in India
and how they have changed over time. The concept of the household as a
co-operating and conflicting unit has been analysed. Also, the changing
patterns of marriage in India have been explained. From the perspective of
kinship, we analyse the major types of descent and alliance approaches in
India. These have been critically analysed in this block.
Block 4: Perspectives on
Class, Caste and Gender once again focuses on the crucial features of social
stratification in the Indian society. Social stratification has' been presented
in terms of the class aspect, the caste aspect and the gender issue. There are
four units in this block dealing with topics such as Agrarian Class Categories,
the Working Class, the Middle Class, and Gender, Caste and Class.
Block 5: Perspectives on
Tribes in India offers you an understanding of the nature and types of tribes
in India. How tribes are interlinked with territory, their common property
resources and there socio political status is discussed. The link between tribe
and caste is also explained. The major policy debates on the nature of tribes
in India and how they should be protected and/or preserved have been dealt with
in the light of the Verrier Elwin and G.S. Ghurey debates. Finally, this block deals with the nature
of differentiation among tribes.
Studies on the Sociology of
religion appeared somewhat late in Indian Sociology. "Today
a significant position amongst the major topics studied by sociologists in
India. Religion and its relationship with politics becomes a critical
issue when one looks at the problem of 'communalism' in India. Religion and Culture are closely associated phenomena and the nuances of
this relationship have been explained in Block 6 Perspectives on Sociology of
Religion. How religion plays a cohesive role in some senses in a complex plural
society like India, as well as, the waysin which it
plays a divisive role are critically approached in this block. The concept of
'secularism' and how it has been understood in India is also explained at the
end of this block.
Block 7: Dynamics of Social
Processes shifts the focus from the study of; institutions like caste, class,
family" and kinship to the dynamics of social processes in India.
Processes of social change such as, urbanisation, migration, industrialisation
and globalisation have been critically reviewed in this block.
The last block of this
course, Block 8: Perspectives on Social Movements describes the meaning and
dimensions of social movements, describes the various types of social
movements, like peasant movements, socio-religious movements and women's
movement, The last two units of this block describe
the tribal working class movements, as well as, new social movements through
different case studies.
This course MSO-004 Sociology in India, like all the
other core courses of MA Programme in Sociology, will be presented to you in
the form of two books. Book 1 will have blocks from 1 to 4 and Book 2 will have
blocks form 5 to 8 as described above. You will
receive this study material in the form of two handy books.
Book 2
This is the first Block of
Book 2 of the course, Sociology in India. In Book 1 of this course, you have
learnt about the emergence of Sociology as a discipline in India. You have also
read about the early village studies in India and have become familiar with
perspectives on caste; family, marriage and' kinship. You will also read about
class, caste .arid gender.
In this Block (Block 5), a
learner is exposed to issues on the discourse of tribals
in India. The learner is introduced to the various aspects of the tribal
situation in India. The Block mainly deals with the four main aspects- tribes
and common property resources; relationship between tribes and castes;
perspectives of tribes in India after Verrier Elwin
and G.S. Ghurye, and social differentiation among
tribes.
The Block has four Units
(Units- 17, 18, 19 & 20). Brief highlights of the Units are given below.
Unit 17: Tribe, Territory
and Common Property Resources
The main objective of this
Unit is to acquaint the learner with the concepts of territory and common
property resources with special reference to tribal communities in India. The
main aspects included in this Unit are - historical development of the concept
of common property resources ('commons'), relationship of 'commons' and mixed
economy in India, population growth and 'commons', and culture of 'commons'. All
these discussions are made' with special reference to tribes in India.
Unit 18: Tribe and Caste
The Unit deals mainly with
the idea of tribe and caste as differing social categories. The discussion
demystifies some of the complex and stereotypic assumptions by sociologists and
anthropologists, by and large, of considering tribes in India as a part of
larger categories of Indian societies. In' other words, it clarifies that 'the
terms of reference in the tribal studies are not to be categories as caste, peasant
or social heterogeneity' but that they must be studied as 'groups' of the
'actual communities' they belong to and represent, such as those of the
regional communities'. In the process, of referring to the terms of reference
and clarifications, the author takes into account important aspects pertaining
to tribes and caste such as the notion and process of tribal transformation to
caste, Sanskritisation and Hinduisation
vis-a-vis tribes, language
factor in tribal identity, the issue of misconstruction of tribal identity, and
the community life of tribes.
Unit 19: Verrier
Elwin and G.S.Ghurye's Perspectives on Tribes
This Unit mainly considers
the perspectives of verrier Elwin and G.S. Ghurye on ' tribal affairs and related aspects. The Unit
begins with the framing of the tribal question with special reference to tribal
autonomy and self-rule in India. It then traces the historical background of
some of the tribal protests and movements in India. The Unit also includes a
discussion on other aspects such as reasons for non-participation of tribals in the struggle for Indian independence and
Constituent Assembly debates on tribal affairs in India.
Unit 20: Social
Differentiation among Tribes
The
idea of the Unit is to give an understanding of the notion of social
differentiation with special reference to tribes in India. The Unit takes care
of two main aspects-first, the theoretical and conceptual (definitional) part,
and second, relevant cases of social differentiation among tribes in Indi. The
Unit begins with the concept, definition and classification of social
differentiation. This is followed by a discussion of social differentiation
among tribes under various types after the factor of kinship and descent, sex,
age, rank and hierarchy, occupation, education, religion, and so on.
Contents
|
BOOK 1 |
|
Block 1 |
Emergence of Sociology In India |
|
Unit 1 |
Social Background of the
Emergence of Sociology in India |
11 |
Unit 2 |
Emergence of the
Discipline : Issues and Themes |
27 |
Unit 3 |
Village Studies in India |
40 |
Block 2 |
Perspectives On Caste |
|
Unit 4 |
The Colonial Perspective |
59 |
Unit 5 |
Brahminical Perspective |
70 |
Unit 6 |
View from the Field |
84 |
Unit 7 |
Ambedkar and Lohia on Caste |
94 |
Unit 8 |
Census Perspective |
106 |
Block 3 |
Perspectives On Family, Marriage And Kinship |
|
Unit 9 |
The Household and the
Family |
123 |
Unit 10 |
The Household as a
Cooperative-Conflicting Unit |
141 |
Unit 11 |
Marriage and Its Changing
Patterns |
152 |
Unit 12 |
Descent and Alliance
Approaches to the Study of Kinship in India |
167 |
Block 4 |
Perspectives On Class, Caste And Gender |
|
Unit 13 |
Agrarian Classes and
Categories |
197 |
Unit 14 |
The Working Class |
213 |
Unit 15 |
The Middle Class |
228 |
Unit 16 |
Gender, Caste and Class |
243 |
|
Glossary |
255 |
|
References |
257 |
|
BOOK 2 |
|
Block 5 |
Perspective On Tribes In India |
|
Unit 17 |
Tribe,
Territory and Common Property Resources |
9 |
Unit 18 |
Tribe
and Caste |
19 |
Unit 19 |
Verrier Elwin
and G.S. Ghurye's Perspectives on Tribes |
30 |
Unit 20 |
Social
Differentiation Among Tribes. |
48 |
Block 6 |
Perspective Of Sociology Of Religion |
|
Unit 21 |
Religion
and Politics |
63 |
Unit 22 |
Religion
and Culture |
77 |
Unit 23 |
Cohesive
and Divisive Dimensions of Religion |
92 |
Unit 24 |
Secularisation
|
106 |
Block 7 |
Dynamlcs Of Social Processes |
|
Unit 25 |
Urbanisation
|
119 |
Unit 26 |
Migration
|
136 |
Unit 2l |
Industrialisation
|
149 |
Unit 28 |
Globalisation
|
166 |
Block 8 |
Perspective On Social Movements |
|
Unit 29 |
Social
Movements: Meanings and Dimensions |
189 |
Unit 30 |
Types
of Social Movements |
200 |
Unit 31 |
Peasant
Movements |
214 |
Unit 32 |
New Social
Movements |
229 |
Glossary |
241 |
|
References |
243 |