Sociology of India - 1

By Dr.B.Geetha | Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University

Learners enrolled: 414

Sociology developed as a Western knowledge that was later disseminated throughout the world. As per the uniqueness of the region, the indigenous sociological knowledge varies. During the British era, the subject of sociology along with social anthropology was introduced in India for the want of understanding the Indian social structure. Sociology as a discipline was introduced in the Indian context during the 1920s along with social anthropology. ‘India’ as the object of knowledge can be traced from the classical and Arab-Persian accounts and later during colonial and nationalist discourses. Indian society’s uniqueness can be understood from its cultural and religious context. India has several concepts which are culture-specific like the caste system and its village and agrarian class structure. India is viewed as a land of ‘village republics’ of self-sufficient corporately organized villages. The caste system, a major social institution in India, has an influence on almost all other Indian social institutions. The tribal profile of India is also diverse with its heterogeneity. The Indian culture and tradition are inclusive of family, marriage, and kinship which have their distinctiveness. India is a land of diversity where people of different religions live, where the knowledge of the practice of religion is needed to understand the social structure. The transition from the agricultural sector to the industrial is also a part of Indian society. The present course on Sociology of India – I cover the above-said content to contemplate the knowledge of Indian society from the historical, anthropological, political, and economic context.

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Core
Duration :	15 weeks
Category :	Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit Points :	5
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	18 Jan 2024
End Date :	30 Apr 2024
Enrollment Ends :	29 Feb 2024
Exam Date :	19 May 2024 IST
Exam Shift: :	Shift - II

Note: This exam date is subjected to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week – 1

1. Conceptualising Indian Society in the Pre-British Period

2. Structure and Functioning of Indian Society – Empirical Knowledge

3. The Indian Village view through the lens of British Colonialism

4. East India Company’s role in collecting systematic information about the peoples of India

Week – 2

5. Initial Response to Colonial Power and Discourse

6. Anti-colonialism and Consciousness Formation

7. Nature and Approaches to Nationalism

Week – 3

8. A.R.Desai’s View on Nationalism

9. Discourse of Nationalism

10. Middle class and Emergence of Indian Nationalism

Week – 4

11. Significance of Nationalism

12. Nationalism Since Independence

Week – 5

13. Subaltern - a modern historical approach

14. Subaltern perspective in Indian Sociology

15. Subaltern Critique - the case of Indian Nationalism

16. Gender, Caste and Denotified Tribes - Subaltern perspectives

Week – 6

17. Caste System in India – Introduction and Background

18. Theories of Caste System

19. Origins and Features of the Caste System in India

20. The Structure of Caste System

Week – 7

21. Prohibitions and Sanctions

22. Functions of the Caste System

23. Role of Caste System in Indian Village

24. Schedule Castes and Casteless Society

Week – 8

25. Indian Agrarian Structure–Views of Daniel Thorner – I

26. The model of agrarian classes in India by D.N. Dhanagare - II

27. Conceptualisation of Agrarian Classes in India by Utsa Patnaik - III

Week – 9

28. Industrial labour in post-colonial India

29. Urban Economy – Factory workers

30. Social Profile and lifestyle of workers

31. The Assertion of dignity in the Formal Sector Industry in India

Week – 10

32. Characteristics of Tribe

33. Tribal Population in India

34. The Geographical Distribution of Tribes in India

35. Social and Economic Organisations of Tribal Community

Week – 11

36. Understanding Villages: An Indian Perspective

37. Village Studies in India - MN Srinivas

38. Village Studies in India –S.C. Dube and A.R. Desai

39. Changing Village Structure in India

Week – 12

40. Family

41. Kinship

42. Kinship Map 1

43. Kinship Map 2

44. Marriage

Week – 13

45. Religion and Religions in India

46. Hinduism and Social Order

47. Hinduism and the Polity

48. Hindu Reforms and Modernisation

Week – 14

49. Islam and Islamization in India

50. Chishtiya and other Orders in India

51. Islamic Great Tradition and Indo-Islamic Little Tradition

Week – 15

52. Introduction to Sikhism

53. Sikh Worships and Rituals – I

54. Sikh Worships and Rituals – II

55. Gurdwara, Sikh Code of Conduct and Reform Movements

Books and references

1. Cohn, B.S., 1990, An Anthropologist among the Historians and Other Essays, Delhi: Oxford University Press, Pp.136-171

2. Kaviraj, S., 20 I 0, The Imaginary Institution of India, Ranikhet: Permanent Black, Pp.85-126

3. Guha, R., 1982, Subaltern Studies, Volume I. Delhi: Oxford University Press, Pp.1-8

4. Srinivas, M.N., 1969, 'The Caste System in India', in A. Beteille (ed.) Social Inequality: Selected Readings, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, Pp.265- 272

5. Mencher, J., 1991, 'The Caste System Upside Down', in D. Gupta (ed.), Social Stratification, Delhi: Oxford University Press, Pp.93-109

6. Dhanagare, D.N., 1991, "The Model of Agnuian Classes in India", in D. Gupta (ed.), Social Stratification, Delhi: Oxford University Press, Pp. 271-275

7. Breman, J., 1999, "The Study of Industrial Labour in Post Colonial India: The Formal Sector", Contributions to Indian Sociology, 33(1 &2), Pp.1-41

8. Haimendorf, C. V. F., 1967, 'The Position of Tribal Population in India', in P. Mason India and Ceylon: Unity and Diversity, New York: Oxford University Press, Chapter 9

9. Srinivas, M. N ., 1987, The Dominant Caste and Other Essays, Delhi: Oxford University Press, Pp.20-59

10. Karve, I., 1994, 'The Kinship Map of India', in P. Uberoi (ed.) Family, Kinship and Marriage in India. Delhi: Oxford University Press, Pp.50-73

11. Srinivas, M.N. and A. M. Shah, 1968, 'Hinduism', in D. L. Sills (ed.) The International Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences, Volume 6, New York: Macmillan, Pp.358-366

12. Momin, A.R., 1977, 'The Indo Islamic Tradition', Sociological Bulletin, 26, Pp.242-258

13. Uberoi, J.P.S., 1997, 'The Five Symbols of Sikhism', in T.N. Madan (ed.) Religion in India, Delhi: Oxford University Press, Pp. 320-332

Apart from this list of books and documents, each module will have a list of books and documents for that particular module.

Instructor bio

Dr.B.Geetha

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University

Dr. B. Geetha is working as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai Tamil Nadu. She bagged the Decennium Medal for the PG programme at Madurai Kamaraj University. During her scholar days, she was part of four impact studies conducted by the Government’s Nodal agency. Her Ph.D. is on Women's Development in Rural Areas which was awarded in the year 2009. She has research and teaching experience for twenty-two years and fifteen years respectively. Her areas of specialization are Social Change and Development Women’s Empowerment and Sociology of Health. She has completed a UGC Major Research project Social Exclusion and Higher Education – Challenges and Negotiations: A Gender Perspective. She has been regularly invited to present lectures at regional, national, and international conferences, seminars, and workshops. Under her guidance, six research scholars have completed their doctoral research. She has published 35 research articles in peer-reviewed and reputed journals both nationally and internationally. Currently, she is one of the Principal Investigators of the RUSA funded project on A Socio-Political Study on Emerging Model for Inclusion of Excluded. She has been involved in E-content development for the Sociology papers Sociological Theories and Social Demography. Later served as MOOCs Course coordinator for two courses Population Studies and Glimpses on Social Welfare and Social Legislation.

Further, she developed online MOOC courses on Sociology of India – I and Sociology of India – II in the SWAYAM platform. She has membership in professional bodies namely the Indian Sociological Society (ISS), Kerala Sociological Society (KSS), Indian Association for Social Sciences and Health (IASSH), and Regional Association for Women Studies (RAWS). She actively participates in academic and administrative activities.