Development of Sociology and Social

Anthropology in India

Growing Realisation of the Importance of

Sociology

When India became independent, it embarked on a programme

of planned economic development to lift its people out of
poverty, something which continues to this day.

The intelligentsia have by now realised the need for the social
sciences, including sociology, in securing this lofty end. The
establishment of the Indian Council of Social Science Research
(ICSSR) is testimony to that.

Development of Sociology in the West

Thanks to the rise of Darwinism and Positivism, Europeans

began to see man as a part of nature. Meanwhile, in the 19th
century, the Industrial Revolution exacerbated the evils of the
capitalist system.

While one group – viz. Marx – set about denouncing the entire
capitalist system itself, another group – whom we today call
social reformers – began to systematically study and suggest
remedies for the pitfalls of capitalism. It is the former class that
led to the development of sociology.
Development of Anthropology as a Colonial
Science

Anthropology was a discipline created by the Europeans to ease

the process of colonisation.

As their empires grew, the European powers needed to govern

more and more people, for which an understanding of their
culture and social life is essential. This need led to the
development of anthropology as a subject, essentially a tool for
colonialism to flourish better.
Growth of both in India

The growth of both these disciplines in India may be viewed in

3 stages:

1. 1773 – 1900: Foundations for both laid.

2. 1901 – 1950: Both the disciplines became more
professional.
3. Post 1950: A complex of forces – namely economic
development, funds, and increased exposure to foreign
work – led to substantial research work.

I. First Phase

Sociology in India originated when the British masters realised

how valuable knowledge of Indian culture and society is to
effectively ruling India.

Several rag-tag surveys were conducted in the 18 th century,

until the first all-India census was undertaken by the British in
1871. The census continues to this day, and was, in colonial
India, used as a tool to exacerbate the differences amongst the
diverse Hindu castes and social groups to “divide and rule”. By
the same logic, indology received considerable attention from
British scholars and officials.

Hence, this very task of surveys and more surveys became

increasingly complex and systematic with time, and thus
developed. The results soon began to be used for policymaking
purposes.

II. Second Phase

Sociology, however, was a relatively young discipline, and it
evolved predominantly after the 19th century, and only then
did it take its current status – the science of studying the
society. It was introduced in the Lucknow School in 1921, when
R. Mukherji became the HOD of the Economics and Sociology
Department. Sociology then played a minor role, and had only
one paper. Hence, compared to social anthropology, its
beginning was very slow. It was remained so till the 1940s.

Sociology then was more concerned with social

problems, which social anthropology was more
concerned with the study of tribal people. The British
Indian government found social anthropology to be of more
practical value. However, it was sociology which had a wider
scope, but its research was mainly theoretical.

In the beginning, sociology faced many problems due to its

dependence on Western institutions, which made it the subject
of suspicion in Indian academic circles. Moreover, it was seen to
be a colonial policy. It was suspected because of its history and
usage in the past.

With the Lucknow School’s emphasis on bringing sociology and

economics together, many socio-economic studies were
conducted. However, the way the results of the same were
used by the British to keep tribals out of the nationalist struggle
made sociology the object of suspicion of the Indian people.

One of the most important developments, which took place

after India’s independence, was the development of the
structural-functional method – which clearly delineated, once
and for all, the boundaries between sociology and social
anthropology.