Indian Sociologists


EXERCISES

1. How did Ananthakrishna Iyer and Sarat Chandra Roy come to practice

social anthropology?

2. What were the main arguments on either side of the debate about how

to relate to tribal communities?

3. Outline the positions of Herbert Risley and G.S. Ghurye on the

relationship between race and caste in India.

4. Summarise the social anthropological definition of caste.

5. What does D.P. Mukerji mean by a ‘living tradition’? Why did he insist

that Indian sociologists be rooted in this tradition?

6. What are the specificities of Indian culture and society, and how do

they affect the pattern of change?

7. What is a welfare state? Why is A.R. Desai critical of the claims made

on its behalf?

8. What arguments were given for and against the village as a subject of

sociological research by M.N. Srinivas and Louis Dumont?

9. What is the significance of village studies in the history of Indian

sociology? What role did M.N. Srinivas play in promoting village studies?