Centre for the Study of Developing Societies

Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
Name	Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
Founded	1963
Founder	Rajni Kothari
Location	New Delhi, India
Focus	Social science research, political science, sociology

Centre for the Study of Developing Societies is an Indian social science research institution established in the early 1960s focused on empirical and theoretical studies of South Asia, postcolonial transformations and comparative social change. It has produced scholarship intersecting the work of figures such as Amartya Sen, Partha Chatterjee, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Ashis Nandy and engaged with institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, University of Oxford and Harvard University. The centre hosts long-term projects, publishes journals and convenes seminars connecting scholars from India, United Kingdom, United States, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

History

Founded in 1963 by Rajni Kothari amid debates following Indian independence and the Cold War, the institute arose as part of a network of postcolonial research initiatives that included dialogues with Institute of Social Studies and contacts with International Development Research Centre and Ford Foundation. Early collaborations linked researchers influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and scholars such as D.D. Kosambi and Irawati Karve, while engaging comparative perspectives from Max Weber, Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim and Antonio Gramsci. Over successive decades the centre adapted to scholarly currents exemplified by subaltern studies, debates involving Ranajit Guha, Sumit Sarkar and David Mosse, and methodological shifts reflected in work by Marshall Sahlins and Clifford Geertz.

Mission and Activities

The centre pursues research, teaching and public scholarship addressing issues raised in discussions around decolonization, development studies, democratization and identity politics. Its stated aims include producing peer-reviewed work, training researchers through fellowships connected to Indian Council of Social Science Research and hosting archive projects linked to collections like the papers of B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy and materials related to Emergency (India, 1975–1977). It runs seminar series that bring together interlocutors from Columbia University, London School of Economics, University of Chicago and regional universities such as Banaras Hindu University and University of Calcutta.

Research Programs and Publications

Programs cover comparative political sociology, media studies, historiography and cultural theory. Research clusters have investigated topics associated with communalism, federalism in India, land reform, and urban studies with casework on Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. The centre publishes journals and edited series that have included contributors from Eric Hobsbawm, S.N. Eisenstadt, Gerry Hindmarsh and contemporary scholars like Nandini Sundar, Sumit Guha, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Sajal Nag. Long-running publications have engaged with bibliographic networks spanning Social Science Quarterly-style debates and comparative projects linking Asian Survey and regional review platforms.

Academic and Public Engagement

The institute organizes conferences, workshops and public lectures bringing together academics, policy makers and activists — participants have included figures from Election Commission of India, representatives from United Nations Development Programme, civil society leaders linked to Right to Information movement and journalists from outlets like The Hindu, Indian Express and Times of India. Its public-facing programs have featured archival exhibitions on episodes such as the Partition of India, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Green Revolution in India, alongside digital projects in collaboration with libraries such as National Archives of India and repositories at British Library and Library of Congress.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Governance combines a board of trustees, an academic council and programme directors; past directors and affiliated scholars have included Rajni Kothari, Ashis Nandy, and other prominent social scientists who maintained links with institutions like Centre for Policy Research and Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Administrative roles coordinate fellowships, library services and publication offices while collaboration networks extend to centers such as Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, South Asian Studies Program at SOAS, and research units at University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have historically included grants and partnerships with philanthropic and multilateral bodies such as the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, UNESCO, International Development Research Centre and Indian funding agencies including the Indian Council of Social Science Research and state cultural departments. Collaborative research grants and exchange programmes link the centre with universities like Oxford, Cambridge University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley and regional partners in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Category:Research institutes in India Category:Social science research