INDIAN SOCIOLOGISTS | Class 11 Sociology Notes

Pioneers of Indian Sociology and Anthropology

The early pioneers of Indian sociology and anthropology often entered the discipline 'by accident' because formal training and institutional support were lacking in India during the early 20th century. Two notable figures exemplify this trend: L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer and Sarat Chandra Roy.

L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer (1861-1937) began his career as a clerk and then a school teacher before becoming a college teacher in Cochin state (present-day Kerala). In 1902, he was invited by the Dewan of Cochin to assist with an ethnographic survey of the state. This survey was part of a broader British government initiative to conduct ethnographic surveys in princely states and presidency areas. Iyer undertook this work voluntarily, balancing his college teaching during the week with unpaid ethnographic work on weekends. His meticulous work earned him recognition from British anthropologists and administrators, leading to invitations to assist with similar surveys in Mysore state.

Despite lacking formal qualifications in anthropology, Iyer was the first self-taught anthropologist in India to gain national and international recognition. He lectured at the University of Madras, became a Reader at the University of Calcutta, and helped establish the first postgraduate anthropology department in India. He was elected President of the Ethnology section of the Indian Science Congress and received honorary doctorates and titles such as Rao Bahadur and Dewan Bahadur.

Sarat Chandra Roy (1871-1942) was another accidental anthropologist. Initially trained in English and law, Roy moved to Ranchi in 1898 to teach English at a missionary school. He later practiced law and became an official court interpreter, which sparked his interest in tribal societies as he had to interpret tribal customs and laws. Roy conducted extensive fieldwork among tribal communities in the Chhotanagpur region (present-day Jharkhand), producing over 100 articles and monographs on tribes such as the Oraon, Mundas, and Kharias. He founded the journal 'Man in India' in 1922, the earliest of its kind in India.

Both Iyer and Roy laid the groundwork for Indian anthropology and sociology by pioneering research and institutional development despite the absence of formal structures. They worked during the British colonial era and set the stage for the next generation of Indian sociologists who would formalize and institutionalize the discipline.

🔗 Connection: Introduces the four major Indian sociologists who institutionalized sociology in India, building on the pioneering work of Iyer and Roy.