Pathways - Approaches to The Study of Society in India

Author: T N MadanPublisher: Oxford University PressYear: 2000Language: EnglishPages: 290ISBN/UPC (if available): 0195636503 DescriptionThis collection of essays provides illuminating introductions to the discipline of anthropology and explores major contributions to the study of Indian society.Intellectual traditions grow through a process of critical assessment and this book is one such contribution to the study of society in India.In the first part of the book, Prof. Madan critically examines the work of several outstanding scholars who have been pathfinders in distinctive ways. In dealing with the works of D P Mukerji, M N Srinivas, Louis Dumont, and others, he comments on a range of methods and perspectives including functionalism, structuralism, and Marxism.The second part of the book explores the idea of anthropology as the mutual interpretation of culture, with illustrations from Prof. Madan's fieldwork and other writings that reveal the method of such understanding.EXCERPTS FRO