Development of Sociology in India 

Vinayak Subhash Lashkar (Research Fellow at YC- National Center of

International Security & Defense Analysis, University of Pune) And Dhananjay

B. Paigude (M. Phil. scholar in Sociology, University of Pune)

01 February 2013 

Today, Indian Sociology is facing many challenges. It is still dominated by the changing paradigms

of Western Sociology and inspired by their Methodologies. It has not yet succeeded in making its

contributions to Social Theory and Conceptual development. Reasons for such a state of affairs are

too far wide and deep and to understand its reasons it is necessary to analyze the socio-historical

and political conditions in which Sociology in India emerged as a formal discipline. The

Contribution of the British administrators-cum-sociologists was reasonably important. Related to

studies of the various aspects of Indian social structure, customs and traditions it was not without

ideological biases in the selection of themes and sociological paradigms. The Conceptual problems

of caste, tribe and village community, reflected in their observations served consciously or

unconsciously to amplify the elements of segmentary cleavages in Indian society to the exclusion of

the principles of organic association and societal harmony. This bias was rooted in a range of

ideological positions that Western sociologists and scholars held while analyzing Indian social

reality. The ‘Missionaries’ derived their paradigm from their own version of the normative

principles of Christianity and judged most Indian social and cultural institutions negatively. Their

solution to India’s problem was, therefore, its Christianization. The view of social reality that it

offered was mechanistic, segmentary and instrumental in nature. It constituted a typical ‘colonial

paradigm’ for social analysis and offered a deeply fractured picture of Indian society and as such of

Indian reality. In the context of globalization diversify the Indian society that change also notice by

contemporary Indian Sociologist.

Introduction
Both Indian and Western face with several critical phases of history. The scars of the First World

War (1914-17) were still so unforgettable the mankind. Post-war reconstruction events were

underway everywhere. This societal condition indirectly inspired the pioneering sociologist to study

Indian society from the structural functional paradigm. “Sociological researches in India had already

been initiated much before the initiation of formal Sociology by British administrators. Absence of

proper grasp and positive reception of Indian social realities as also the inadequate, and often

inaccurate, understanding of local customs and traditions and misjudgments about different

institutional arrangements led the colonial administrators to make use of Sociology and social

anthropology to run the colonial administration efficiently” (Dhanagre, 1993:33) In this paper, we

argue that development of sociology would be in three phases. First is Impact of colonial ruler and

administrators, Second is Early Indian Thinkers and third one is Post Independence Indian Scholars.

Impact of colonial ruler and administrators

Sociology, as a discipline, came much after the contributions made by social thinkers, philosophers,

administrators who worked at understanding the Indian society, in general, as well as studying some

specific aspects of Indian society, such as law, family, religion, caste system. It is the contributions

made by the Ideologists, such as, Henry Maine, Alfred Lyell give contribution to the development of

Sociology in India. They emphasized the need to preserve the indigenous social institutions found in

Indian society rather than destroying them and imposing an alien way of life on her people. They

recognized the past beauty of Indian cultural and literary tradition. Besides ideologists, there were

British administrators who made wide-ranging study of Indian people, their races and cultures. Most

of these studies helped generate a body of knowledge, preserved in such as Census Reports, Imperial

Gazetteers, and District Gazetteers and as well as in books and monographs, which are referred by

social anthropologists and sociologists even today. Sociology was better established on the continent

such as European countries like France, Germany and England.

 
When Sociology was established in Indian Universities in the developing phase of discipline it was

dominated by the Structural Functional perspective, which is based on Positivistic ideology of the

discipline in the Indian context. Generally, Sociology has studied urban-industrial groups. Now an

account of academic language is developed in the discipline of Sociology, which covers the study

area of Anthropology, which is partially related to tribes, castes and communities from the

emancipator view point. Thus, in the Indian academic studies, we find that tribe, caste and region

have been linked with each other in a variety of ways. Both Sociology and anthropology in India

have one thing in common: they are mainly based on empirical data, but now a day’s sociologist

develop the methodology for using qualitative data in research and use it on large scale.

Development of Sociology in early Indian thinkers

The Early Indian Thinkers phase was essentially a phase of multi-level fusion. It is not without

significance that the twin disciplines of Sociology and social Anthropology had their beginnings in

the two cities of Bombay and Calcutta, which typically represented colonialism. These beginnings

were more or less simultaneous in the second decade of the last century. Initially, more established

and ‘grown-up’ social science partners treated Sociology and social anthropology as a ‘left behind

category’ and as such these disciplines were relegated to a subordinate position in the organizational

structure of Indian Universities. Most departments of Sociology in their premature phases began their

journey with economics. Contributions of B.N. Seal, G.S. Ghurye, B.K. Sarkar, Radhakamal

Mukherjee, D.P. Mukerji and K.P.Chattopadhyay during the pre-Independence period are

particularly remarkable. Their intellectual interests, methods of data collection, and their

interpretations of the Indian social system and social institutions were strongly influenced by the

ethnographic works produced by scholar-administrators throughout the colonial period. Studies on

caste, family, marriage and kinship, social stratification, tribal communities, rural and urban society

figured prominently in this period.

 
It would be no overstatement to mention that Ghurye introduced the down-to-earth empiricism in

Indian Sociology. His diversified interests are also reflected in his works e.g. family, kinship

structures, marriage, religious sects, and ethnic groups – castes. Whereas Seal and Sarkar were

products of the Bangali renaissance and were inspired by the Indian National Movement, and had

pioneered studies on ethnicity, religion and culture (Mukherjee, 1977b: 31-41), Chattopadhyay

(social Anthropologist) conducted large scale social surveys which exposed the conditions of the

peasantry and the working class as well as of the tribals in Bengal and away. The only other major

centre, which contributed considerably to the growth of Sociology in the country during the pre-

Independence period, was Lucknow. As in case of Calcutta, the pioneers of Sociology in Lucknow

particularly Radhakamal Mukherjee focused on the issues of rural economy and land problems

(1926, 1927), deteriorating agrarian relations and conditions of the peasantry in Oudh (1929),

population problems (1938), and problems of the Indian working class (1945), being initially trained

in economics.

Development of Sociology in post independence Indian scholars

The phase of expansion of Sociology began in 1952, with several factors account in its growth. The

policy makers of independent India pursued objectives of economic regeneration and social

development, and they recognized the role of the social sciences in attaining the objectives of

national reconstruction and development (Dhanagre, 1993:45). They defined the new task of

Sociology as social engineering and social policy science. It meant increased participation by social

scientists, particularly economists and sociologists, in research and social and economic development

(Singh 1986:8-9).

At the same time heavy funding from Ford Foundation to save India from sliding into the

revolutionary communist path of development led many sociologists in India to undertake researches

in the field of community development also in the process of strengthening the policy relevant

researches. A major reason that contributed to the growth of Sociology in the post-independence
period can also be attributed to the policy of administration followed by Indian state declared the

practice of untouchability in any form an offence, and with the introduction of reservation for

Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SCs and STs) in the legislatures and jobs in the government and the

public sector, a new field was opened up for study to sociologists, though very few were aware of

this fact (Srinivas, 1994:12). Indian society has a mosaic structure of agriculture and industries. This

kind of complex structure raises economical and social inequalities. These inequalities are based on

the ground of caste, class, and gender. The Indian society if facing change from agriculture to market

based capitalism.

The contradictions in society emerge new subjects like Sociology of gender, Dalit studies, Sociology

of tribe such as. In this period India have nearly half of the total population illiterate and poor. This

situation help to growth of urban slums point up this process. The larger the city, the larger is the

problem of urban poverty and its ghettoization. Urban slum dwellers face with miserable condition.

The dissatisfaction in the urban life is enlarged leading to continued conflicts between urban middle

classes and the slum dwelling poor. The liberalization and opening of the economy have now added a

new class of the ‘super-rich’ to the urban social circumstances. This creates among urban middle

classes as well as the urban poor very complex forms of cultural and social tensions. Indian

sociologists are yet to devote their serious consideration to these issues if they have to follow the goal

of equality and to justify their relevance to the society at large. The result of social forces operating

in our society since independence, have led us to face with many unforeseen question. These

influence both our society as well as the profession of Sociology. As such there is need to reflect

extremely on these problems and to organize us to meet with these challenges since challenge is

inbuilt in the process of change. It influences both individuals and societies.

We have to examine as to how far the forces of transformation that are global, and also bring about

beneficial cost to society. A serious assessment of this situation is yet to be made. Recent

development in the Sociology is inclusion of Sociology of Development and then the Sociology of
Globalization, some scholars also develop the new academic branches of Sociology e.g. Sexuality

and Reproductive health, Social Theory, Collective actions in Urban Arena. After the independence

period threw was improvement in the theoretical understanding of the discipline. Before

independence the views of Indian thinkers such as Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule; did not

understand as a socio thinkers, now in this days these thinkers known as social thinkers in Dalit

Studies which is body of understanding developed by Indian Sociologists. They understand the

society from the viewpoints of Indian thinkers like Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule such as. The

Indian Sociological works have often drawn upon these early books and documents written by

British officials or observers

Conclusion

Today, Indian sociologists are becoming more aware of the ruthless inequalities operating at national

and international levels. Contemporary young sociologists are working to understand the new trends

like social exclusion, Ethnicity, culture in the broader context of social justice. The problems of

language, publication and funding continue to continue. Sociologists are either working in regional

languages and suffer from scantiness of vernacular journals or even if they are writing their reports in

English there is very little chance of getting them published, particularly in limited English language

journals. As a result what is being done hardly ever comes to the knowledge of the international

community and good works may never see the light of day. To rescue from this situation the Indian

Sociological Society has taken concrete steps to support regional associations by organizing special

symposia on regional issues and in this way encourage sociologies from below.

Many challenges that Sociology is facing in India, like pertaining to the quality of students,

concerned to the paucity of faculties and Funding because of neglect and failure on the part of state

governments. Indian Sociological Society is making every possible effort to make stronger the reach

and extent of Sociology in India. The fast growing NGO sector is also contributing significantly to

the growth and development of applied and action Sociology in India. This sector is also trying hard
to grapple with and bringing to light the problems of the backward and the marginalized groups in

the country. While academic Sociology in India is losing ground in terms of providing jobs, the NGO

sector has emerged in a big way to help the young Sociology entrants since they are considered well

equipped and trained in field research and research methodologies.

Reference

Dhanagre, D.N. 1993. Themes and Perspectives in Indian Sociology. Jaipur: Rawat Publications.

Mukherjee, Ramakrishna. 1977b. Trends in Indian Sociology, Current Sociology, 25(3).

Mukherjee, Partha Nath. 2006. Rethinking Sociology in an Era of Transformatory Changes, Sociological Bulletin, Vol. 55, No.2.

Singh, Yogendra. 2000. Culture Change in India: Identity and Globalization. Jaipur: Rawat Publications.

Srinivas, M.N. 1994. Sociology in India and its Future, Sociological Bulletin, Vol. 43, No.1.
© www.onlinethinker.org / All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means without referring to the source and credit to Taheri
Entrepreneurship Co. Daneshyaran of Humanities (TECODH). The views, conclusions, and suggestions
expressed in this article/seminar are those of the author/presenter and do not necessarily reflect the
views of TECODH.