Development of Sociological Thought in India explores the evolution of sociology as a discipline in the Indian context. It traces the contributions of early scholars, social reformers, and the influence of indigenous and Western perspectives on shaping sociological thought in India.
Previous Year Questions
| Year | Question | Marks |
| 2018 | What is social thought? | 2 |
| 2016 | who have made pioneering contributions to Indian Sociology. | 2 |
What is Sociology?
- Auguste Comte: “Sociology is the science of social phenomena subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation.”
- Kinsley Davis: “Sociology is the study of human society.”
- H.M. Johnson: “Sociology is the science that deals with social groups, their internal forms or model of organization, the processes that tend to maintain or change these forms of organizations and the relation between groups.”
- G.S. Ghurye: Sociology is the systematic study of social relationships, institutions, and society as a whole.
- M.N. Srinivas: Sociology is the study of social processes, including how social institutions develop and change over time.
- Gillin and Gillin: “Sociology in its broadest sense is the study of interactions arising from the association of living beings.”
- Action + Reaction = Interaction
- Interaction + Purpose + Stability = Social Relation
- Socius (Latin)- companion, associate, society
- Logos (Greek)- study of
- Literal meaning – Sociology is the study of society.
Early Indian Sociological Thought
- Ancient Texts: The Vedas, Upanishads, and Manusmriti provided early reflections on social order, roles, and hierarchy.
- Philosophical Contributions: Thinkers like Buddha and Mahavira offered perspectives on ethics, social equality, and renunciation.
- Medieval Period: Saints and poets like Kabir, Guru Nanak, and Bhakti movement leaders critiqued caste hierarchies and promoted social reforms.
Colonial Period
- British Influence: Introduction of Western education and social sciences in India.
- Census and Surveys: Systematic data collection on Indian society, aiding sociological studies.
- Social Reform Movements: Leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotirao Phule, and E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar) worked against social evils like sati, caste discrimination, and child marriage.
Emergence of Sociology
Various intellectual and social influences combined to shape the development of sociology as a scientific discipline. The social, cultural, religious and economic changes that took place in Europe in the 18th-19th Century, created the need for a subject that could scientifically study the social systems. The notable changes in the global situation which led to the development of sociology are –
Commercial Revolution in Europe
- Globalization of businesses
- Development of economy and banking system
- Emergence of middle class
- Evolution of paper currency
- Beginning of scientific revolution with the arrival of renaissance
Enlightenment – (14th-18th Century)
- Source of critical ideas such as freedom, democracy and reason as primary values of society.
- Challenged the existing conceptions rooted in traditional world-view as it was an intellectual movement consisting of many philosophers like Rousseau, Valtaire, Montesquieu etc.
French Revolution (1789 AD)
- The ideals of liberty equality and fraternity emerged
- Monarchy ended and the idea of freedom and democracy were established
- Contribution of many intellectuals and philosophers
Industrial Revolution – (18th- 19th Century)
- The transition in the manufacturing processes. with the changes in technology.
- Said to have started in England.
- Socio-economic life of people changed.
- A class of Industrial workers emerged.
- With mechanization development of capitalism took place as production increased.
Note:- ‘Auguste Comte’ coined the word sociology in 1838. He is considered as the Father of Sociology and wanted this new science to adopt the methods of study of Physical sciences.
Sociology In India
Development of Sociology:
- First Phase : 1773 -1900
- Britishers tried to understand Indian Society.
- 1784 → william Jones → Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal
- Professional sociologist like Herbert Risley (Tribal caste continuum)
- Bombay University → teaching (1919), Calcutta and Lucknow university
- G.S Ghurye, Radhakamal Mukherjee, D.P. Mukherjee
- Phase of expansion, M.N Srinivas etc
- Independent India → Role of social sciences in policy making
- Phase of expansion, M.N Srinivas etc
- Independent India → Role of social sciences in policy making
The Emergence of Indian Sociologists
Initially, many Indians became sociologists and anthropologists by accident. Two prominent pioneers of social anthropology in India, L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer (1861-1937) and Sarat Chandra Roy (1871-1942), illustrate this trend.
- L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer:
- Began his career as a clerk.
- Self-Taught Pioneer: Likely the first self-taught anthropologist in India to gain both national and international recognition.
- Elected President of the Ethnology section of the Indian Science Congress.
- A lawyer with postgraduate degree in English.
- His interest in anthropology emerged after he left his teaching job to practise law at the Ranchi Courts.
- His legal work required him to interpret tribal customs and laws, sparking a deep interest in tribal society.
- Legacy: Founded the journal Man in India in 1922.
- Legacy: Founded the journal Man in India in 1922.
Both Ananthakrishna Iyer and Sarat Chandra Roy were accidental yet true pioneers in their fields.
Later Indian Sociologists
A generation later, four Indian sociologists emerged during the colonial era and continued their work after India gained independence. These influential figures include:
- G.S. Ghurye
- D.P. Mukerji
- A.R. Desai
- M.N. Srinivas
Between the 1920s and the 1950s, sociology in India was equated with the two major departments at Bombay and Lucknow. While the Bombay department in this period was led by G.S. Ghurye, the Lucknow department had three major figures, the famous ‘trinity’ of
- Radhakamal Mukerjee (the founder)
- D.P. Mukerji
- D.N. Majumdar.
| 1914 | Elective subject in Mumbai University |
| 1919 | Department of Sociology was established under Patrick Geddes. |
| 1917 | Sociology was introduced as an elective subject in 1917 in University of Calcutta under Brijendra Nath Singh. |
| 1921 | Lucknow University introduced Sociology. |
| 1923 | Andhra and Mysore Universities introduced it. |
| 1939 | Department of Sociology established in Pune University under Iravati Karve. |
| 1952 | Indian Sociological Society formed to connect sociologists across India. |
Centres for Research and Training
Various centres for Research and Training came up that worked for the development of sociology as a separate subject.{ 2 maker ke liye Important h ye}
- Indian sociological Society
- Tata Institute of social work, Lucknow
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay
- Institute of Social Science, Agra
Sociologists
Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas
M.N. Srinivas is recognized for pioneering the new approach of structural-functional analysis in sociological and social anthropological research in India. His work can be organized and examined under the following categories:
- Social Change
- Brahminization, Sanskritization (Religious + Secular), Westernization (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary) and Secularization
- Sanskritisation – case of anticipatory socialisation (Coorg)
- Rampur (village) – Dominant caste → When entire group gets mobility (Sanskritisation)
- formulated the concept of ‘Brahminization,’ which later evolved into the broader concept of ‘Sanskritization.
- Westernisation
- views the village as a microcosm of Indian society and civilization.
- Rampur (village) – Dominant caste
- views the village as a microcosm of Indian society and civilization.
- Rampur (village) – Dominant caste
- Caste
- Dominant Caste
Other Contributions
- Challenged Eurocentric theories, advocated for indigenous frameworks. (“India social structure).
- Influenced subsequent sociological research in India.
- Founded the Department of Sociology at Delhi School of Economics and Baroda university; served as President of the Indian Sociological Society.
- Engaged with contemporary social issues like caste dynamics.
- Emphasized the significance of village studies in sociological research (“India’s villages,”, “Village , caste, gender and method”).
- Published influential works like “Caste in Modern India” and “Social Change in Modern India.“
Major Works { Books name 2 marker me Important h}
- Marriage and family in Mysore
- Religion and Society among the Coorgs of South India
- Sanskritization and Westernization
- Caste in Modern India and Other Essays
- Social Change in Modern India
- The Remembered Village
- The Dominant Cates and Other Essays
- The Cohesive Role of Sanskritization
- Village, Caste, Gender and Method: Essays in Indian Social Anthropology
Govind Sadashiv Ghurye
Acclaimed as the ‘father of Indian sociology’.
Contributions:Whole range of his works can be classified into following broad areas:
- Caste → Book- “Caste and Race in India” .
- Tribe → They are nothing but the ‘backward caste Hindus’.
- Kinship, family and marriage :
- 3 types of marriage restrictions in our society, which shape the relationship between caste and kinship.
- These are endogamy, exogamy and hypergamy.
- Idea of rurbanization (rural + urbanisation)
- There are two conflicting views on culture’s growth: one sees it as growing independently, while the other views it as growing through diffusion
- “Ghurye’s influential trilogy books includes Social Tensions in India (1968), Whither India (1974), and India Recreates Democracy (1978).”
- There are two conflicting views on culture’s growth: one sees it as growing independently, while the other views it as growing through diffusion
- Religion ( Centre of Culture heritage) → Indian Sadhus
- Sociology of conflict and integration
- “Ghurye’s influential trilogy books includes Social Tensions in India (1968), Whither India (1974), and India Recreates Democracy (1978).”
Major Works { Books name 2 marker me Important h}
- Caste and Race in India
- Culture and Society
- Caste, Class and Occupation
- Cities and Civilizations
- The Scheduled Tribes
- The Indian Sadhus
- Social Tensions in India
- Whither India
- India recreates Democracy
- Vedic India
Radha Kamal Mukherjee
Contributions-
- He introduced integrated approaches in economics, sociology and anthropology in both research and training.
- His contribution led to development of the branch of sociology ‘sociology of values’.
- He discussed the concept of universal civilization and community of communities.
- He talked about economic transaction and social behavior and urban social problems.
The Central Ideas
- Relationship between Economic and Social Behavior
- In India, economic transactions are deeply influenced by caste and religious norms rather than purely market forces.
- His concept of social ecology examines the interplay between geological, geographical, biological, and social factors in shaping ecological zones.
- Facts and values are linked in human interactions, where even simple actions like eating or dressing are shaped by values.
- Plea for Conservation of Forests
- An Ameliorative Approach to Urban Social Problems
- Theory of Values
- Facts and values are linked in human interactions, where even simple actions like eating or dressing are shaped by values.
- Indian Culture and Civilization
- Mukerjee’s Concept of Universal Civilization
Major works-
- Rural Economy of India
- Regional sociology
- Land Problems India
- Introduction of Social Psychology
- Sociology of Mysticism
- Man and His Habitations
- Indian working class
- The Social structure of Values
- Inter-caste tensions
- The Destiny of Civilization
Akshay Raman Lal Desai
Contributions-
- Discussed about the concept of State and regarded British colonialism responsible for making Indian society capitalist.
- Studied the social background of Indian village nationalism and analysed the rural social structure, and socio-economic policies and structure of state and society.
- Contributed in the field of National movement and peasant struggles in India’ co-authored
- He co-authored a book on ‘Slums and Urbanization of India’ with D. Pillai.
Major Works
- Social Background and Indian Nationalism
- Recent Trends in Indian Nationalism
- Rural Sociology in India
- State and Society in India
- Peasant Struggle in India
- India’s path of Development
- Agrarian struggles in India after independence
On Classes in India:
- Two Classes: Masters and Service.
- Service Class is Morally and socially obligated to serve the Master Class. This relationship is a dialectical economic one, comparable to slavery in the West.
On Birth of Caste → Aryan invasion
Dhurjati Prasad Mukherjee
Contributions –
- Discussed about the subject matter and method of study of Indian sociology.
- Considered traditions to be the subject matter of Indian sociology and discussed the internal and external challenges which influenced Indian traditions and culture.
- Contributed in the field of literature, wrote many articles and fictions.
- Role of the middle class, modern Indian culture and modernization were also discussed.
- Discussed the constitution of Indian history in this book On lndian History.
- Called themself Marxiologist and analysed the Indian society from Marxian Perspective of dialectical materialism
Major works-
- Personality and Social Sciences
- Basic Concepts in Sociology
- Modern Indian Culture
- Problems of Indian Youth.
- Tagore: A study
- Views and Counterviews
- Diversities
The Indianization of Sociology
These four Indian sociologists played a crucial role in giving sociology a distinctive character in the context of a newly independent and modernizing India. They exemplify the diverse ways in which sociology was ‘Indianized’:
- G.S. Ghurye:
- Began with questions framed by Western anthropologists.
- Enriched these questions with his deep knowledge of classical Indian texts and his understanding of educated Indian opinion.
- Came from a thoroughly Westernized intellectual background.
- Rediscovered the importance of Indian tradition, while also recognizing its shortcomings.
- Strongly influenced by Marxism.
- Offered a critical view of the Indian state during a period when such criticism was uncommon.
- Trained in leading Western centers of social anthropology.
- Adapted his training to the Indian context and played a key role in designing a new agenda for sociology in the late 20th century.
- M.N. Srinivas:
- Trained in leading Western centers of social anthropology.
- Adapted his training to the Indian context and played a key role in designing a new agenda for sociology in the late 20th century.
Related Terms
Social Thought
- Refers to the body of ideas and theories developed by thinkers and philosophers to understand and explain social phenomena.
- Draws from history, philosophy, literature, and other disciplines, making it interdisciplinary.
- Reflects cultural and societal changes over time and includes diverse perspectives from different cultures and eras.
- Important for checking social problems and avoiding mistakes done by predecessors, in reacting to social life problems.
- Important thinkers include Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, and other significant contributors from ancient to modern times.
Sociological Thought
- A specific branch of social thought focused on understanding society through the lens of sociology.
- Focuses on the systematic study of society using scientific methods and empirical research.
- Analyzes social institutions, structures, relationships, and social processes.
- Uses theories and concepts to understand social phenomena, emphasizing the importance of theoretical frameworks.
- Key contributors include Auguste Comte, who coined the term ‘sociology,’ Karl Marx, who examined class struggle, Emile Durkheim’s work on social solidarity, and Max Weber’s analysis of bureaucracy.
- Indian sociologists like M.N. Srinivas and G.S. Ghurye emphasised the global and local perspectives in sociological thought.
Social Structure
- Definition: Organized pattern of social relationships and institutions.
- Components: Statuses, roles, institutions, social groups.
- Function: Maintains order and predictability in society.
Socialization
- Definition: Process of learning and internalizing societal norms and values.
- Agents: Family, schools, peers, media.
- Outcome: Development of individual identity and social skills.
Social Change
- Definition: Transformation of culture, behavior, social institutions over time.
- Causes: Technological innovations, economic shifts, political movements.
- Impact: Can be gradual or revolutionary, affecting all societal aspects.
Social Stratification
- Definition: Hierarchical arrangement of individuals in society.
- Basis: Caste, Class, race, gender, ethnicity.
- Effects: Differential access to resources and opportunities.
Development of Sociological Thought in India/ Development of Sociological Thought in India/ Development of Sociological Thought in India/ Development of Sociological Thought in India/Development of Sociological Thought in India
