Indian Sociologists MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Indian Sociologists - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is - Mukherjee

Key Points

• D.P. Mukherjee (1979) critiqued the colonial impact on Indian society and economy.
• He observed that British colonial policies led to:
  • The rise of zamindars who were not productive landowners but merely parasitic rent-collectors.
  • The emergence of a new class of English-educated Indians who were disconnected from Indian cultural traditions and became “job-hunter graduates”.
• These outcomes were seen as unintended consequences of colonialism that failed to foster a genuine, self-sustaining middle class in India.

Additional Information

• Colonial education system
  • The British introduced English-medium education primarily to produce clerks and administrators for the colonial bureaucracy.
  • This education was often detached from indigenous knowledge systems and had limited employment potential, leading to unemployment or underemployment.
• Land revenue policies
  • Colonial policies such as the Permanent Settlement created a class of absentee landlords (zamindars) who extracted rent without investing in agricultural productivity.
  • This contributed to rural poverty and stagnation, especially in Bengal and northern India.
• Middle class formation
  • Unlike in the West, colonial India’s new social groups lacked economic autonomy and were dependent on colonial structures.
  • Thus, the formation of a stable, self-reliant middle class was obstructed under colonial rule.

The correct answer is - Rudolph and Rudolph 

Key Points

• Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph
  • They co-authored the 1967 book "The Modernity of Tradition: Political Development in India".
  • Their work argues that tradition can serve modern purposes in Indian political and social life.
  • They challenged the linear dichotomy between tradition and modernity by showing how traditional institutions adapt within modern contexts.
  • Their study was influential in the field of political sociology and Indian modernization theory.

Additional Information

• Core Concepts from the Book
  • Modernity is characterized by:
    • Universal commitments over local ties
    • Rationality, science, and utility over sacred and emotional reasoning
    • Individual choice and achievement over ascribed identity
  • The book critiques the assumption that modernization requires a complete rejection of traditional forms.
• Impact on Indian Sociology
  • The work was foundational in discussions of political development in postcolonial India.
  • It introduced the idea that tradition can be reinterpreted to function within democratic and bureaucratic institutions.

Endogamy, purity & pollution, ritual hierarchy and ascribed occupation are the features of caste system.Important Points 

• Caste is defined as hereditary endogamous group.
• A  group which have a common name, common traditional occupation, common culture, relatively rigid in matters of mobility, distinctiveness of status and forming a single homogenous community.

Additional Information 

• Ghurye defined caste based on six distinctive characteristics:
  • Segmental division of society.
  • Hierarchy.
  • Civil & religious disabilities and privileges.
  • Lack of unrestricted choice of occupation.
  • Restriction on food, drinks & social intercourse.
  • Endogamy

Irawati Karve's analysis of Indian social relations based on Indological approach was influenced by G.S Ghurye. Important Points

• Irawati Karve was a pioneering Indian sociologist, anthropologist, educationist and writer from Maharashtra, India.
• She has been claimed to be the first female Indian Sociologist and her work on kinship was based on anthropometric and linguistic surveys that are now considered unacceptable, there has been a revival of academic interest in that and some other aspects of her work, such as ecology and Maharashtrian culture.

Additional Information

• M.N Srinivas was an Indian sociologist and social anthropologist and is mostly known for his work on caste and caste systems, social stratification, Sanskritization and Westernisation in southern India and the concept of 'dominant caste'.
• I.P Desai pioneered many areas of sociological research, such as education, family, untouchability, migration, social movements, and social change. He contributed a lot to the growth of Indian Sociological Society and to the profession of sociology.
• G.S. Ghurye was a pioneering Indian academic who was a professor of sociology and is widely regarded as the founder of Indian Sociology & Sociology in India.
• Sir Patrick Geddes was a British biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner and is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and sociology. 

The correct answer is - Dipankar Gupta

Key Points

• Dipankar Gupta
  • Dipankar Gupta is an eminent Indian sociologist known for his critical analysis of modernity.
  • His book Mistaken Modernity challenges the conventional understanding of modernity in the Indian context.
  • The book discusses how modernity in India has often been misinterpreted and misapplied.
  • Gupta argues that true modernity involves more than just economic growth and technological advancement; it also includes social and cultural changes that promote equality and justice.

Additional Information

• Concept of Modernity
  • Modernity refers to the cultural, intellectual, and political changes that have occurred since the Renaissance, leading to the development of modern societies.
  • Key characteristics include industrialization, urbanization, secularization, and the rise of democratic institutions.
  • Modernity is often associated with the Enlightenment values of reason, science, and progress.
• Challenges in the Indian Context
  • India's encounter with modernity has been complex, involving a mix of traditional and modern elements.
  • Issues such as caste discrimination, gender inequality, and communalism pose significant challenges to the realization of true modernity in India.
  • Gupta's work highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of modernity that goes beyond mere economic indicators.
• Other Works by Dipankar Gupta
  • Gupta has authored several other influential books, including "Interrogating Caste" and "Revolution from Above."
  • His research often focuses on social stratification, urbanization, and the dynamics of Indian society.

The correct answer is S.V. Ketkar."Key Points

• The Book "History of Caste in India" is authored by Shridhar Venkatesh Ketkar, provides a descriptive account of the History of Caste in India with the evidence of the laws of manu on the social conditions in India during the third century A.D. interpreted and examined.
• This book was first published in 1909.

Additional Information

• N.K. Dutta studied occupational hierarchy due to prevalent caste system.
• Majumdar and Madan wrote An introduction to Anthropology.
• Herbert Risley gave racial theory of cate system.

The correct answer is Rural India in Transition.Key Points

• Govind Sadashiv Ghurye was a pioneering Indian academic who was a professor of sociology. In 1924, he became the second person to head the Department of Sociology at the University of Bombay. And, is widely regarded as the founder of Indian Sociology & Sociology in India.
• Books by Ghurye are: 
  • ​Caste and Race in India
  • Caste and Class in India
  • Cities and Civilization
• Rural India in Transition authored by A. R. Desai.

Additional Information

• Caste and Race in India: Over The Years This Book Has Remained A Basic Work For Students Of India Sociology And Anthropology And Has Been Acknowledged As A Bona-Fide Classic.
• Caste and Class in India - Govind Sadashiv Ghurye. This work of G S Ghurye is a presentation of his views on the history and the origin of the caste.
• Cities and Civilization: This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
• Akshay Ramanlal Desai was an Indian sociologist, Marxist, and social activist. He was a Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Bombay in 1967.
• According to Desai, India's nationalism is the result of the material conditions created by British colonialism. The Britishers developed new economic relations by introducing industrialization and modernization.

Thus, A book not authored by G.S. Ghurye is Rural India in Transition.

In his famous work on the changing stratification of a Tanjore village, Andre Beteille observed the changes in Caste System, Class System and Power System.Important Points 

• Andre Beteille was a follower of Max Weber. He followed weber's famous tripartite model of social stratification i.e Caste, Class and Power. 
• The book "Caste, Class and Power : Changing patterns of stratification in Tanjore Village (1965)" mentions Beteille's tripartite model of Stratification.

D.N Majumdar proposed the concept of De-Sanskritization.Important Points

• De-Sanskritisation is the process by which a high or a low caste person or a tribal accepts the membership of an untouchable caste and thereby lowers his social as well as ritual position.
• The process of De-Sanskritisation also involves imbibing the customs and beliefs and adopting the way of life of an untouchable caste.

Additional Information 

• G.S Ghurye is widely regarded as the founder of Indian Sociology & Sociology in India. He founded the Indian Sociological Society and its newsletter, Sociological Bulletin.
• N.K Bose was a leading Indian anthropologist, who played a formative role in "building an Indian Tradition in Anthropology". He was humanist scholar with a broad range of interests, he was also a leading sociologist, urbanist, Gandhian, and educationist.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served as Law and Justice minister in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru, and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement after renouncing Hinduism.

Sanskritization is a concept where MN Srinivas has explained caste mobility as a process of Social and Cultural change. Important Points 

• M.N. Srinivas explained the concept of Sanskritization in his book “Religion and society among the coorgs of South India” to describe the cultural mobility in the traditional caste structure of Indian society. 
• In his study of the coorgs of Mysore, he came to know that the lower castes were trying to raise their status in their caste hierarchy by adopting some cultural ideals of the Brahmins.

Additional Information

• Modernization is a process of social change that is based on scientific approach and logic.
• Secularization is the transformation of people or a society from identification with traditional , formal, belief systems or religious values and institutions toward unacknowledged belief systems or seemingly non-religious values and secular based belief systems.
• Westernization is the adoption of the practices and culture of western Europe by societies and countries in other parts of the world, whether through compulsion or influence.

Option 4) Sripuram is the correct answer.

Important Points

•  Andre Beteille studied the village of Sripuram in his work on 'Caste, Class, and Power.'
• The book was originally released in 1965.

Additional Information

• Andre Beteille (1934-2021) was a renowned Indian sociologist and academic who made significant contributions to the fields of sociology, anthropology, and political science.
• He was a professor of sociology at Delhi School of Economics and later at the University of Delhi. He also served as the National Fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research.
• Beteille's notable works include "Caste, Class and Power" (1965), "Ideology and Social Science" (1979), "Antinomies of Society" (2000), and "The Backward Classes in Contemporary India" (2005). He was also a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan.

Option 3) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.

Important Points

• Some major concepts and approaches about social change in India can be grouped as Sanskritization and Westernization.
• Sanskritization refers to the process of adopting upper-caste Hindu customs and traditions.
• Westernization refers to the adoption of Western culture, values, and technology.
• Hence, Statement I is correct.
• The term 'Sanskritization' was coined by the Indian sociologist M.N. Srinivas in 1952 to describe the process of social mobility in Indian society, whereby lower castes adopt the customs, rituals, and beliefs of the upper castes to improve their social status. Hence, Statement II is incorrect.

Additional Information

• 'Westernization' is a term used to describe the process of adoption of Western culture, values, and technology.
• It has no single originator, but has been widely used by social scientists and cultural critics to describe the influence of Western ideas and practices on non-Western societies.

KM Kapadia is known for his work on Indian family.Important Points 

• KM Kapadia was the founder member of the Indian Sociological Society and was its Secretary between 1955 and 1966.
• His major contributions are Kinship, Family and Marriage in the field of sociology.

Additional Information 

• SC Dube was an Indian anthropologist, sociologist, and former president of the Indian Sociological Society from 1975 to 1976. He is known for his research on Indian villages and tribal societies.
• Dipankar Gupta is an Indian sociologist and public intellectual. His contributions include rural-urban transformation, labor laws in the informal sector, modernity, ethnicity, caste, and stratification.
• DN Mazumdar was an anthropologist. He carried out field investigations among tribals of Bihar, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh. He did anthropometrics surveys, including blood group investigations of tribes and castes of Uttar Pradesh.

The correct answer is T. K. Oommen.Key Points

• Indian Sociologist, T.K Ooman has mentioned six dimensions of Communalism which are given in the list below:
  • Assimilationist.
  • Welfarist.
  • Retreatist
  • Retaliatory,
  • Separatist,
  • Secessionist.
•  Oommen's work Protest and Change: Studies in Social Movement (1990) further explores the significance of sociology and social anthropology in studying protest and change.

Additional Information

• Yogendra Singh was an Indian sociologist. He was one of the founders of the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, where he was a professor emeritus of Sociology, and where he has been a professor since 1971.
• According to Desai, India's nationalism is the result of the material conditions created by British colonialism. The Britishers developed new economic relations by introducing industrialization and modernization.
• Govind Sadashiv Ghurye was a pioneering Indian academic who was a professor of sociology. In 1924, he became the second person to head the Department of Sociology at the University of Bombay. And, is widely regarded as the founder of Indian Sociology & Sociology in India. 

Thus,  T. K. Oommen has suggested six dimensions of communalism: assimilationist, welfarist, Retreatist, retaliatory, separatist, and the secessionist.

The correct answer is Ghurye.Key Points

Ghurye was a prominent Indian sociologist who is considered to be one of the founding fathers of sociology in India.

• He played a significant role in the development of sociological thought in India and is known for his work on Indian society and culture.
• Ghurye's work focused on Indian society and culture.
• He was particularly interested in the study of caste, religion, and kinship in India, and his research helped to establish the field of sociology in India.
• Ghurye's approach to sociology was influenced by the works of Max Weber and Emile Durkheim, and he sought to apply their ideas to the study of Indian society.
• In addition to his research, Ghurye was also instrumental in establishing the Department of Sociology at the University of Mumbai.
• This was the first sociology department in India and helped to pave the way for the development of sociology as an academic discipline in the country.

Additional Information

• Sir Patrick Geddes was a British biologist, sociologist,  positivist and pioneering town planner  known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and sociology.
• Shyama Charan Dubey (1922-1996) is a well-known anthropologist and sociologist in India known for application of the structural-functional approach to Indian society.
• RK Mukherjee focused on Indian caste system.