5 Great Anthropologists of India and Their

Contributions in the Field of Anthropology

by Varun Naik

IndiananthropologistswhomadegreatcontributionstowardsAnthropologyarelistedbelow:

1. N. K. Bose:
NormalKumarBoseisahighlyfamiliarandrespectednameinIndianAnthropology.Hewasbornin1901.He
gothisschoolingatPatinaandRanchiandhighereducationatCalcutta.HedidhisMastersinAnthropologyin
1925.

Hewasinvolvedinfreedomstruggleandhisacademiccareerwasinterruptedseveraltimesbycertain
nationalistevents.HetaughtanthropologyatCalcuttaUniversity.

N.K.BosealsoservedasavisitingscholarintheUniversityofCalifornia,BerkleyandChicago.Healsoacted
astheDirector,AnthropologicalSurveyofIndiaduring195964andservedasadvisorontribalaffairs,
GovernmentofIndia.

Heretiredin1964andfromthenonwardsservedinvariouscapacities.Hedistinguishedhimselfasadevoted
socialworkerandwasinvolvedwithseveralphilanthropicorganizations.

Bosehadmultifariousinterestsintheoutsideanthropology.BesidebeingauthorofbookslikeCultural
Anthropology(1929)andProblemsofIndianNationalism(1969)healsopublishedworkssuchasCanonsof
OrissanArchitecture(1932),ExcavationsinMayurbhanj(1949)andCalcutta:ASocialSurvey(1964).Healso
servedaseditorofManinIndia.HealsowroteprofuselyinBengaliandhelpedpopularizinganthropologyand
makingitmorerelevanttothecontemporarysociety.Hediedin1972.

2. D. N. Majumdar:
DhirendraNathMajumdarshalldefinitelybeincludedinsuchacategoryofpersonsknownforhisfierce
devotiontothesubjectandhispassionfortheexpansionfortheexpansionofanthropologysodeartohis
heart.HeoccupiesauniqueplaceinIndianAnthropology.Tomanyhewasafatherfigure,apatriarchandan
institutionintohimself.IfoneisaskedtonamethepersonsdedicatedtothecauseofAnthropologyinIndia.

D.N.Majumdarwasbornin1903atPatnaandpursuedhiseducationatDacca,Calcutta,andCambridge.He
obtainedaMastersinanthropologyfromCalcuttaUniversityin1924andwasrecipientofseveralprestigious
awards.

In1928hejoinedtheDepartmentofEconomicsandSociology,LucknowUniversity,asalecturerinPrimitive
Economics.Inthemidtwenties,Majumdarhadturneddownhisnominationofasubdeputycollectorshipand
preferredtodoanthropologicalfieldworkinChotanagpur.

HewasinitiatedintofieldworkbythegreatethnographerS.C.Royandhealwaysacknowledgethisprofusely.
In1933hewenttoCambridgetowritehisdoctoralthesisonculturecontactandacculturationamongtheHoof
KolhanunderHodson.HewasawardedPh.D.in1935.

HewasinvitedtodeliveracourseoflecturesatCambridgeduringthisperiod.Thiswasararehonorforany
Indian.HewasalsoelectedasafellowoftheRoyalAnthropologicalInstituteofgreatBritainandIreland.

Thoughhespecializedinsocialanthropology,healsomaintainedactiveinterestinPhysicalanthropologyand
prehistory.HegotadvancedtraininginphysicalanthropologyfromMorantandGates.

HewasgreatlyinfluencedbyMalinowskiandregardedhimashisteacher.OnhisreturninIndiahejoinedhis
oldpostinLucknowUniversity.In1939hepresidedovertheAnthropologyandArchaeologysectionofIndian
ScienceCongress.Thenumberofmedalsandhonorconferredonhimwerecountless.

D.N.Majumdarwasalsoinvolvedinthedecennialcensusof1941andhecarriedoutananthropometicand
serologicalsurveyfortheUntiedProvinces(nowUttarPradesh).ThelegendarystatisticianP.C.Mahalanobis
collaboratedwithhiminthisendeavour.Hisinvolvementanddevotiontothesubjectmaybegaugedfromthe
factthathewasthemostknowledgeableanthropologistaboutthetribesandcastes.

HisknowledgeoftheHoofChotanagpurandtheKhasa(Jounsari)ofJounsarBawarwasamazing.Thepeople
ofBengal,GujaratandUttarPradeshandthetribalsofBasterwereintimatelyknowntohim.AlongwithFerrier
Elwinheinitiatedproblemorientedethnography.

HefoundedtheEthnographicandFoldCultureSociety,U.P.in1945andlateronbroughtajournalTheEastern
Anthropologist.Thesocietyaswellasthejournalstillremainstoremindtheworldofhisimmensecontribution
toanthropology.Helecturedatseveralprestigiousuniversitiesoftheworld.

D.N.MajumdarmayberegardedasapioneeramongIndiananthropologiststodovillagestudies.Thestudy
ofnontribalpeasantsocietywasnewtrend.Henotonlycameforwardwithamodelofwhatanthropological
villagestudiesoughttobebutevenundertooktheunconventionaltaskofdemarcatingthesocialcontoursofan
industrialcity.

Alongwiththesehealsoundertookandcompletedtheevaluationofadministrativelyengineeredsocialchange
(GopalSarn,1961).HealwaysremainedintheforefrontinIndianAnthropology.Hewastheinnovatorof
acculturationstudiesaswellastheoreticallyorientedethnography.

WedonotknowofanyIndiananthropologiesotherthanD.N.Majumdar,whobesideswritingtribal
monographs,studiedvarioustribesintransitionpresentedamodelofanthropologicalvillagestudy,delineated
thesocialcontoursofanindustrialcity,carriedoutanthropometricandserologicalsurvey,carriedout
excavation,influencedAndmoldedawholegenerationofanthropologist,apopularizedanthropologyinevery
departmentandactedaspatriarch.D.N.MajumdaristhegreatestacademicanthropologistIndiahasproduce
sofar.

Atthetimeofhisdeathin1961,hewasheadofthedepartmenthefoundedandDeanFacultyofArts.Trueto
hislifestyleandphilosophyheexpiredafteranextremelybusydayswork.Hisbibliographyrunsintoseveral
pagesandhisworksaretoowellknowntobeenumeratedhailagain.

3. M. N. Srinivas:
MysoreNarasimbacharSrinivas(popularlyknownasM.N.Srinivas)isahighlyrespectednameinthe
contemporarysociology/socialanthropology.Hewasbornin1961andreceivedhisearlyeducationin
Karnataka.

HedidhisMastersinsociologyfromMysoreUniversity,Ph.DinSociologyfromBombayUniversityandD.Phil
inSocialanthropologyfromtheOxfordUniversity.SrinivashastaughtatDelhiUniversity,M.S.University,
BarodaandOxfordUniversity.Hehasbeenarecipientofmanyprestigiousawardsandfellowships.

ThefirstsystematicattempttodefinetheprocessesofsocialchangeinIndianSocietywasattemptedby
SrinivasthroughhispathbreakingconceptofSanskritizationsandWesternization.Thisconceptwasevolved
byhiminthecourseofhisstudyofCoorgsofSouthIndia,laterpublishedasandSocietyamongtheCoorgsof
SouthIndia(1952).

Byprovidingleadinthisdirection,SrinivasinspiredseveralIndianSociologistsandsocialanthropologiststodo
empiricalresearchonIndiaSocietytounderstandthedirectionandtheprocessofchangehastenedbythe
independenceofthecountry.

Lateron,whenhepublishedhispaperDominantCasteinRampura(1959)inAmericanAnthropologists,he
gavefurtherleadtothesocialscientisttounderstandthecontemporarygroundrealitiesinvillageIndia.The
phenomenaofpoweranddominanceinvillageIndia,tobeunderstoodthroughtheconceptofdominantcaste,
providethebasistounderstandthenatureofsocioeconomicpoliticalchangeinvillageIndia.

WhenlinkedwithtwinconceptsofSanskritizationand.Westernization,thisconceptprovidethecrucialbasisof
understandthedynamicsofsocialchangewerederivedfrommemoryafterthewholetextwaslostina
dormitoryfirewhereSrinivaswasstayingintheStanfordUniversityUSA.

SomeofhisotherverywellknownworksareCasteinModernIndia(1962),SocialChangeinModernIndia
(1966)andIndiasVillage(ed.)(1955).Besidetheseandsomeotherbookshehasalsopublishedmorethan
hundredresearchpapers.

M.N.Srinivasinstillveryactiveandacademicallyproductive.Hehastrainedawholegenerationofsociologists
andsocialanthropologistssomeofwhomareoccupyingprestigiouspositionsinIndiaandabroad.

4. S. C. Dube:
ShyamaCharanDubebelongstothatcategoryofsocialanthropologistwhodidnotdotheirmastersorPh.D.
specificallyinanthropologyandyet,likeM.N.Srinivasconsideredtoprankingsocialanthropologist.S.C.Dube
obtainedhismastersdegreeinpoliticalscience(withaspecialpaperonsocialanthropology).

HewrotehisdoctoraldissertationinsociologyontheKamar,atribeofMadhyaPradesh.Hetaughtpolitical
scienceatLucknowUniversityandsociology/socialanthropologyatNagpurandOsmania.Healsoservedfor
sometimeinAnthropologicalSurveyofIndiaandNationalInstituteofCommunityDevelopment.Healsotaught
atSagar,LondonandCornellUniversities.

Afinefieldresearcher,hedidhisfieldworkinChattisgarh,Telanganaregion(AndhraPradesh)andWest
Orissa.Heisbestknownforhistheoreticalinterestandcontributionsinthefieldofsocialstructureand
sociologyofeconomicdevelopment.

SocialchangeandeconomicdevelopmenthasbeenthemajorthemeofhisseveralworkslikeIndiasChanging
Villages:HumanFactorsinCommunityDevelopment(1958).PowerandConflictinVillageIndiaandseveral
researchpapersHisIndianVillage(1955)isconsideredamajorworkinvillagestudies.

S.C.Dubehasalwaysadvocatedforadynamicsocialscienceresponsivetothecontemporarychallenges.His
SocialScienceinChangingSocietyisanimportantcontributioninthisfield.

ThethemeofdevelopmentandmodernizationhasbeenuppermostintheworkofDubeforthelasttwo
decades.ItbeganprominentlywiththepublicationofhiscollectionofarticlestitledContemporaryIndiaandits
Modernization(1973)andExplanationandManagementofChange(1971)andCulminatedinModernization
andDevelopmentTheSearchfroAlternativeParadigms(1988).Hewasbornin1922andcontinuestobe
highlyproductiveintheacademicworld.

5. L. R Vidyarthi:
LalitaPrasadVidyarthi,popularlyknownasLPVisafamiliarnameincontemporaryIndiananthropology.
VidyarthididhismastersinanthropologyfromLucknowUniversityandPh.D.fromChicago.Hewasastudent
ofD.N.MajumadaratLucknowandRobertRedfieldatChicago,Perhaps,hiswasthelastPh.D.thesis
supervisedbythegreatpatriarchofChicago.

L.P.VidyarthijoinedRanchiUniversityandalmostsinglehandedraisedthestatusoftheanthropology
departmentandaddedmultifariousdimensiontoitamajordepartmentofanthropologyinthecountry,centreof
advancedstudiesinanthropologyandaveryproductiveareaofanthropologicalresearch.Expansionof
anthropologyinthecountrywasapassionwithhim.

TheconceptofSacredComplexisanoriginalcontributionofVidyarthithroughwhichtheculturalprocessesin
theIndiaCivilizationissoughttobeunderstood.HisRisetoAnthropologyinIndia,atwovolumenarrationof
thegrowthofIndiananthropologyisperhapstheonlydetailedtreatiseonthissubject.

HedidfieldworkmostlyamongthetribesofBiharanddevelopednewinsightsintoappliedanthropology.When
heheadedtheTaskforcefortheDevelopmentoftheBackwardAreas,appointedbythePlanningCommission
ontheeveoftheFifthFiveYearPlan,itbroughtgreathonourtoappliedanthropologyinIndia.

TheconceptofTribalSubPlan(TSP)nowinvogueisaproductofthiseffort.Hehaspublishedseveralbooks
andresearchpapersonappliedanthropology.Bywritingextensivelyontheimpactofindustrializationand
urbanizationonthetribesofChotanagpurregion,hecontributedimmenselytoanIndustrialAnthropologyin
India.

WhentheTenthInternationalCongressofAnthropologicalandEthnologicalScienceswasheldin1978in
IndiaitnotonlybroughtasingularhonourtoIndia(becauseitwasthefirsttimewhenthiscongresswasheldin
anyAsianCountry)butalsotoL.P.VidyarthiwhochairedtheCongress.

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