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| M. N. Srinivas | |
|---|---|
| Name | M. N. Srinivas |
| Birth date | 16 November 1916 |
| Birth place | Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India |
| Death date | 30 November 1999 |
| Death place | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Occupation | Sociologist, anthropologist, academic |
| Known for | Concepts of Sanskritisation, dominant caste, village studies, social change |
M. N. Srinivas M. N. Srinivas was an Indian sociologist and social anthropologist noted for pioneering fieldwork-based studies of caste, village society, and social change in South Asia. His work on concepts such as Sanskritisation and dominant caste informed scholarship in sociology, anthropology, history, and political science across institutions and regions including Mysore, Bombay, Oxford, and Bangalore.
Mysore-born Srinivas studied in institutions linked to Mysore State and later at Maharaja's College, Mysore and University of Bombay before undertaking postgraduate work that connected him with scholars at All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health and University of Madras. He was exposed to intellectual currents associated with Jawaharlal Nehru's era, the Indian National Congress, and networks involving figures from Banaras Hindu University, University of Calcutta, and University of Oxford. His early mentors and peers included scholars from Sir P. S. Sivaswami Iyer-era circles, links to IIT Madras alumni, and contacts among faculty at Banaras Hindu University and University of Bombay.
Srinivas held academic and administrative positions at universities and research institutions such as University of Mysore, Delhi School of Economics, University of Oxford, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He was associated with the Institute for Social and Economic Change in Bangalore and maintained ties with the Indian Council of Social Science Research and National Institute of Advanced Studies. Internationally, he engaged with departments at University of Chicago, University of Cambridge, School of Oriental and African Studies, and participated in programs at UNESCO and Ford Foundation. He supervised doctoral students who later joined faculties at Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Hyderabad, Banaras Hindu University, and University of Delhi.
Srinivas developed influential concepts including Sanskritisation, the dominant caste, and the idea of the village as a field for studying social structure and change, concepts that intersected with debates in Karl Marx-inspired historiography, Max Weberian theory, and structural-functionalism associated with Radcliffe-Brown and A. R. Radcliffe-Brown. His work engaged comparative frameworks involving scholars like Louis Dumont, J. H. Hutton, Iravati Karve, and G. S. Ghurye, and addressed issues central to studies of colonialism in contexts such as British India, Madras Presidency, and princely states including Mysore. Srinivas's theorising influenced analyses of political movements tied to Dravidian politics, Bharatiya Janata Party, and regional dynamics in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and informed interdisciplinary research in political science, history, and development studies.
Srinivas conducted intensive ethnographic fieldwork in villages such as those in and around Mysore District, drawing methodological inspiration from village studies in Korea and comparative projects in Japan, China, and Egypt. His fieldwork methods paralleled approaches used by scholars affiliated with Manchester School, Northwestern University, and University of Chicago anthropological traditions, while dialoguing with field researchers like E. P. Thompson and Marc Bloch. These studies produced granular accounts of caste dynamics, kinship, ritual, and economic relations, engaging with local institutions such as panchayat structures, religious sites connected to Vishnu and Shiva temples, and practices reflected in festivals tied to regional calendars.
Srinivas authored and edited numerous works that entered curricula at institutions including Delhi School of Economics, University of Mysore, Oxford University Press, and Cambridge University Press lists; notable titles informed courses alongside works by Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Claude Levi-Strauss, and A. R. Radcliffe-Brown. His publications influenced scholars across disciplines, appearing in journals connected to Indian Economic and Social History Review, Contributions to Indian Sociology, Economic and Political Weekly, and international outlets associated with American Anthropologist and Current Anthropology. His impact extended to policy circles in Ministry of Home Affairs (India) and research bodies such as Indian Council of Social Science Research and international funding agencies like Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation.
Srinivas received recognition from academic and national bodies including awards tied to University of Mysore, fellowships from University of Oxford, and honors from professional organizations such as Indian Sociological Society and International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. He held honorary positions and delivered memorial lectures at institutions like Banaras Hindu University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences. His legacy is commemorated through prizes, lecture series, and institutional dedications at universities in Mysore, Bangalore, and Delhi.
Category:Indian sociologists Category:1916 births Category:1999 deaths