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Research Centre for Religious Studies Research Centres Institute of Indian Studies Research History and Theory of the Anthropology of India

History and Theory of the Anthropology of India

Convenor: Dr. Peter Berger
Howrah Bridge, Kolkata
Howrah Bridge, Kolkata

Especially after Indian Independence the anthropology of India developed a distinctive, theoretically informed anthropological debate that was on the one had influenced by the general trends in the discipline, but which on the other hand also contributed to the general anthropological discussions. Dumont’s notion of hierarchy and McKim Marriot’s concept of the “dividual” are examples of this general influence. During the same time, i.e. after 1947, the sub-discipline also established itself institutionally in India, the US, the UK and France.

This project intends to offer a multidisciplinary forum for scholars conducting research on various aspects of the development of the sub-discipline. This includes, for example, the development of theoretical approaches, the study of the works and lives of individual anthropologists, the involvement of the anthropology of India with contemporary political and societal aspects or its connections with colonial epistemic or institutional frameworks.

Last modified:03 January 2022 10.03 a.m.