INDIAN SOCIOLOGISTS
Sociology is a relatively young discipline, even in a global context. In India, it was formally introduced in universities beginning in 1919 at the University of Bombay. By the 1920s, other major universities in Calcutta and Lucknow also started teaching and research programs in sociology and anthropology. Today, these disciplines have established departments in every major university in India.
In the early days, there were several challenges and questions about what an Indian sociology would look like and its relevance to the country. These questions were significant because:
1.Colonial Context: Unlike Western societies, India was a colony. Therefore, its experience of modernity was closely linked with colonial subjugation.
2.Complex Societal Structure: India has an ancient and advanced civilisation but also includes societies considered primitive by anthropological standards.
3.Post-Independence Role: The role of sociology in an independent India, geared towards planned development and democracy, was another significant question.