Indology/ Textual Perspectives- G.

S Ghurye
Abstract

The objective of this paper is to explain the various terms related to Indological or
textual perspective of G. S Ghurye who was an indologist, sociologist and
anthropologist. The Indian society can be understood of two different dimensions;
one is Indological approach and other is sociological which Ghurye made use of
his study and works in contribution to Indian society through these approaches.
And Indological studies done through two types; one is Indology or Indic studies
and other is oriental studies. And his contribution to Indian sociology and his life
and his study and his teaching career and so on which gives the whole aspect of
the Ghurye’s life and his personality. Caste and Race in India summarized which
is one of the best books of G. S Ghurye.

Key Words

Indology, Textual, Hindu tradition, caste, race, kin and kinship system, caste
system, Indological approach, sociological approach, Indic studies, oriental
and caste and race in India.

Introduction

Govind Sadashiv Ghurye was an Indologist, Sociologist and Anthropologist who

was born 12th Dec 1893 village called Malwan in the district of Ratnagiri of
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. When we see Ghurye as the indologist as the study of
Indian society he actually comprises the Indological approaches which mostly
concepts, theories and frameworks of Indian civilization which is unique to Indian
society. He died on 28th Dec 1983 at the age 90, Mumbai. He was the professor of
sociology at Mumbai University in 1924 as the second person to head the
department of sociology.

There are two approaches to the study of Indian society; one is Indological and
other is Sociological approach. Indological approaches claims that Indian society
can be understood only through the concepts, theories and frameworks of Indian
civilization. And Sociological approach gives more importance to the empirical
structure in the field than to the culture framework of Indian civilization.

Amrit Barla, Post Graduate Student, Email-amrit7stars@gmail.com, Contact-09486449902, Department

of Sociology, School of Social Science and International studies, Pondicherry University
Indology means a systematic study of Indian culture (systematic study of books
which available in Vedic and ancient times). It is both as independent discipline in
itself and a particular approach in Indian sociology. Indological studies comprise
of investigation of language, beliefs, ideas, customs, taboos, codes, institutions,
tools, techniques, work of art, rituals, ceremonies and other related components of
culture. It dependent on inter-disciplinary work like methods of philology its origin
and needs demonstrate, the incorporation of art history, archeology, philosophy,
folklore, anthropology and even economics and law. As we see Indology is much
older than sociology as independent discipline in India.

Ghurye’s Education and Personal life

His early schooling was at the Aryan Education Society’s High School, Girgaum,
in Mumbai. He joined Elphinstone College where he did his B. A Sanskrit for
which he received Bhau Daji Prize and M. A Sanskrit for which won Chancellor’s
Gold medal. While doing his Post Graduation he too wrote essay on ‘Bombay as
an Urban Centre’ for which he wins Scholarship and he further plan to study; so he
moved to England. He did his PhD under the guidance of L. T Hobhouse at
London school of Economics; there he finds unsatisfied and moved to Cambridge
University in 1922; Ghurye was deeply influenced by W. H. R Rivers who was his
PhD guide. After River’s sudden death in 1922, A. C Haddon guide Ghurye for his
thesis and he completes in 1922. When one looks into his personal life; Ghurye
was born of Sarawat Brahmin community and according to his autobiography, his
parents believed him to be an incarnation of his grandfather who had lost his life in
Kashi, in the holy Ganges in flood which as a philgrimage he was named after his
grandfather Govind. He was married to Sajubai of Vengurla, a town near Malwan.
He had one son whose name is Sudhish Ghurye, he was a Mathematician and
Statistician and he had one daughter named Kumud G Ghurye who is a Barrister.

Ghurye’s Career

Ghurye soon completion of PhD from Cambridge University; he came back to his
home town and got appointed as the head of department of the department of
sociology in Mumbai University in 1924 and he became professor in 1934 and he
retired 1959. The department of sociology was actually founded by Patrick Geddes
in 1919. When Ghurye took it over, the department came alive once again and he is

Amrit Barla, Post Graduate Student, Email-amrit7stars@gmail.com, Contact-09486449902, Department

of Sociology, School of Social Science and International studies, Pondicherry University
considered as the real founder or the father of sociology in India. He shaped the
study of sociology from there on; he also founded the Indian Sociological society
in 1951 and established in 1952 and he remained its president for 15 years, then he
too circulated some newsletter like Sociological Bulletin and sociological journal.
He also headed the Bombay anthropological society for some years. He trained 40
PhD’s scholar in a 35 years of his teaching career, then he again trained 16 PhD’s
scholar after his retirement. Some of the notable students of him were the social
reformer and intellectual thinkers like M.S.A Rao, Iravati Karve, M.N Srinivas,
A.R Desai, I. P Desai, Y.B Damle and so on. He also had the opportunities to see
the ‘Dr. G S Ghurye Award’ being instituted in his honour. His book ‘caste and
race in India’ is regarded as a classic in the field.

Ghurye’s Contribution

G. S Ghurye’s work is worth of inquiring into two.

1. His role in promoting and directing the course of research in diverse fields of
Indian society. – as a teacher, as an institution builders, as a research guide,
as a scholar
2. His own substantive writings, his theoretical postulates, his vision of the role
of sociology.

His writings have enormous diversity of themes and perspectives. The wide range
of the two principal braches of the Indo-European people and Europe and other
interest of work are like Rajput architecture and funerary monuments, sadhus in
India, Sex in America, Shakespeare, Kalidas, Castes, Tribes and Races,
metropolitan civilization and so on. His writings have been gathered from all
sources – literatures, historical, archaeological, sculptural, and painting and so on.
His works were like-

1. Caste and race in India

2. Culture and society
3. Indian sadhus
4. Religious consciousness
5. Social tension in India
6. Scheduled tribes
7. Vedic India and so on.

Amrit Barla, Post Graduate Student, Email-amrit7stars@gmail.com, Contact-09486449902, Department

of Sociology, School of Social Science and International studies, Pondicherry University
And when one look to “caste and race in India” which is one of the best of Ghurye
in which he discusses combined historical, anthropological and sociological
perspectives to understand caste and kinship system in India. In this book he tried
to analyses caste system through textual evidences and structural and cultural
perspectives. Ghurye studies caste system from a historical, comparative and
integrative perspective; later he did comparative study for kinship in Indo-
European cultures. After his study, Ghurye emphasis two important points as caste
and kinship.

 The kin and caste networks in India had parallels in some other societies.
 The kinship and caste in India served in the past as integrative frameworks.

By taking these two point Ghurye tries to evaluate society which are actually base
on the integration of diverse, racial, or ethnic groups, and Ghurye highlights six
structural features of caste systems.

1. Segmental division
2. Hierarchy
3. Pollution and purity
4. Civil and religious disabilities and privileges of different section
5. Lack of choice of occupation
6. Restriction on marriage

After looking those features; Ghurye makes the statement saying that “‘caste’
started with ‘race’” which is analyzed by the father of Indian Sociology by G. S
Ghurye himself in which he argued and view ‘caste’ as a deprivative of ‘race’. This
entirely follows the Sanskrit scriptures in which he was brilliant and
knowledgeable in using it and he made ‘Aryan’ race theory which is a myth
because of

 There are no race

 The idea of an entire group being ‘Aryan’ is wrong.

But whether these people are called Aryan is a just ordinary migrant or may be of
imagination. In ‘caste and race in India’ (An article by Carol Upadhya 2000
entitled- The hindu Nationalist sociology of G. S Ghurye) Ghurye concludes the
Indo Aryan belonged to the larger Indo European stock that dispersed from its

Amrit Barla, Post Graduate Student, Email-amrit7stars@gmail.com, Contact-09486449902, Department

of Sociology, School of Social Science and International studies, Pondicherry University
homeland after 5000 B.C. The branch that entered India about 2500 B.C carried
with it the early ‘Vedic religion’ and the Brahmanic variety of the Indo Aryan
civilization developed later in the Gangetic plain only with the caste system.
Ghurye interpret the ‘varna as colour’ and the idea of ‘dasas’ described by the
Aryan were the ‘dark’ and snub-nosed’ natives who later encountered when they
entered India. ‘Caste’ derived from varna classification of vedic age which
differentiates the ‘Arya’ and ‘Dasa’. The caste system originated as an
endogamous institutions as the Indo- Aryan Brahmines attempted to maintain their
purity by keeping themselves apart from the local population. Actually speaking it
is the historical fact which is described in Sanskrit books. Cate was maintained by
endogamy and hyper gamy there is a correspondence between caste and Physical
type or race. In caste and race Ghurye examines Risely’s theory in great detail
through a reanalysis of the anthropometrical data in which he finds that outside the
core area of Aryan settlement, ‘Hindustan’ Physical type doesn’t conform to caste
rank.

Briefing out the book “Caste and Race in India”

‘Caste and race’ is the best book of Ghurye in which he focuses on ‘caste’. The
first two chapters identify the basic ‘features of the caste system’ and analyze the
nature of caste groups’. These chapters largely descriptive and consider caste as it
was in the 1920s. In these Ghurye notes the very loose affiliation of caste with
occupation, sect and other forms of difference, but emphasizes the looseness rather
than affiliation. The next two chapters follow the concept of ‘Cate through the
ages’ in four periods.

1. Vedic period with its vedic and Brahmanic text.

2. Post Vedic period- dominated by the laws of the Aryan, the great epics,
Buddhist writings.
3. Period of Dharmasastras- summed up in manner at the outset and in the
Vishnu purana at the end.
4. Modern period in which various texts recombined and flowered into a more
systematic tradition.

Through these Ghurye argues that classical writers had developed the concepts of
caste through discussion of the four varnas-

Amrit Barla, Post Graduate Student, Email-amrit7stars@gmail.com, Contact-09486449902, Department

of Sociology, School of Social Science and International studies, Pondicherry University
  Brahmin
 Kshatriyas
 Vaishyas
 Sudra

Moving to the chapter 5 and 7 consider the relation of race and caste in which
Ghurye immediately jumps into the controversial argument between Herbert Risely
a colonial administrator and census officer committed to ‘racial’ theories of the
origin of caste. Through this Ghurye shows that a strong race/ caste correlation
exist only in Hindustan; his most striking chapter concern the current situation of
caste. He knew the current ‘reality’ of caste is in larger part a creation of the
British census. Prof. Ghurye was the doyen of indian sociologist, published the
first edition of ‘caste and race in India’ in 1932. The following three editions recast
to deal with additional aspects of the subject matter, appeared in 1950, 1956 and
1961 respectively. The present edition is an expanded version with five new
chapters.

1. Caste, sub-caste: fusion or fission?

2. Caste, Sub- caste and kin
3. Caste and politics: general
4. Caste and politics in Tamil Nadu
5. A casteless society or a plural society?

Critics for Ghurye

 Tradition and modernity in which Ghurye never entered into the tradition in
Indian society rather he stressed on Indian tradition are actually Hindu
tradition.
 His main concern was the Hindu society rather looking the whole society
 His works are based on textual and scripture data in which there may be
biasness while writing
 He fails to recognize qualitative changes that has happen to modern India
 He doesn’t make clear cut distinction between caste and tribe
 He is ethnographer, not sociology- his book fail to come up from the level of
ethnography of that of sociology (Economics and political weekly- K. C
Alexander)

Amrit Barla, Post Graduate Student, Email-amrit7stars@gmail.com, Contact-09486449902, Department

of Sociology, School of Social Science and International studies, Pondicherry University