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MPPSC
DAILY
CLASS NOTES
Sociology
Lecture – 26
Class and Class Conflict in Industrial
Society, Indianization of Sociology
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Class and Class Conflict in Industrial Society, Indianization of Sociology
Indigenization of the sociology
❖ Indology is a branch of social sciences dealing with the interpretation of ancient texts
and linguistic studies to understand ancient Indian culture.
❖ The Indological approach rests on the assumption that historically, Indian society and
culture are unique.
❖ This uniqueness of Indian society could be better understood through the texts.
❖ The researchers understood that India is a part of a long-uninterrupted cultural and
historical continuum and this has re-enriched social sciences by knowing about what
happened in the last five thousand years with any civilization. They are based in
classical tradition and practices, along with an analytical lens to view modern issues.
❖ Indology worked as a dampener to most western sociological theories describing
Indian society. Instead, it argues for sociological frameworks rooted in Indian culture
and history themselves, circumstances unique to the country.
Need Of Indigenization
❖ Intellectual Crisis: In Asia, the key crisis in social sciences is the need for
indigenization, as native scholars question the applicability and appropriateness of
foreign theories and methodologies.
❖ Forms of Indigenization: Globally, the call for indigenization is demanded depending
on certain countries in terms of introducing social sciences or switching over to
national languages as medium of instruction and also based curriculum development
aligned with their respective national needs.
❖ Limited Indigenous Construction: Despite a broad denunciation on outside theories,
social science is not constructive in its indigenous range. Whether this movement will
be toward regional parochialism or towards a global social science.
❖ Global Engagement: As more emphasis is placed on indigenization, we are also seeing
new opportunities to partner regionally and internationally, enabling us to avoid the
potential tendency of becoming insular.
❖ Historical Context: The 1970s became a watershed in the national and international
discussions, wherein there was urgent emphasis on avoiding intellectual capture,
creation of shackling mental cocoons and promoting scholarly inheritance to let our
own selves emerge leading from following as evident many intellectuals meet.
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❖ Definitional Crisis: Indigenisation means different things to different people; and the
development status across four countries is determined by their colonial heritage.
❖ Political Implications: At political level, indigenization becomes parallel to the larger
project of decolonization — Jawaharlal Nehru's campaign for Indianzation during the
freedom movement.
❖ Caution Against Rhetoric: There is a recognition among indigenization enthusiasts
that we run the risk here simply reacting to foreign pressure and ending up looking
like chauvinists or natives confronting their old colonial overlords.
Sociology in India:
Stages of Development
1. Initiation Stage (1857-1960):
❖ Divided into two parts: colonial understanding of India and Indological
perspectives.
❖ Key figures: Louis Dumont, Metcalfe, Baden Powell.
❖ Colonial necessity: Needed to understand Indian culture and history for effective
governance.
❖ Missionaries and social workers: Played a role in understanding and serving the
local population.
2. Crystallization Stage (1960-1980):
❖ Development of Marxist Structural-Functional approach.
❖ This period saw the further solidification of sociological approaches in India,
influenced by Marxist theory.
3. Maturity Stage (1980 onwards):
❖ Multiple issues studied with few approaches developed.
❖ This period reflects the diversification of sociological studies in India with more
varied topics being explored.
Other Key Concepts:
❖ District Gazetteer: Compiled by collectors of the provinces, providing information
about various regions.
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❖ Census from 1871: Collected data on caste, religion, culture, occupation, education,
employment, and other socio-economic aspects.
Indology Views on Caste:
❖ Caste was allocated on the basis of occupation.
❖ No occupation was high or low as it was choice-based.
❖ Occupation is not chosen for personal wealth but for keeping reciprocity in mind.
❖ Thus, there was stability and continuity in society because of caste.
❖ Brahmins were ones with good memory as texts had to be memorized and taught to
others.
❖ Common cultural consciousness and their carrier saints helped hold India together.
Features of Caste:
❖ Ghurye explains caste in India on the basis of six distinctive characteristics:
➢ Segmental division of society
➢ Hierarchy
➢ Civil and religious disabilities and privileges
➢ Lack of unrestricted choice of occupation
➢ Restriction on food, drinks, and social intercourse
➢ Endogamy
Indology Views on Tribes:
❖ Intermarriages were common in Indigenous communities, leading to a mix of caste
and tribe. Many Tribal Kings declared themselves as Kshatriya.
❖ Backwardness of Tribals was attributed to their imperfect integration into Hindu
society.
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