Indology/ Textual Perspectives- G.S Ghurye
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to explain the various terms related to Indological or textual perspective of G. S Ghurye who was an indologist, sociologist and anthropologist. The Indian society can be understood of two different dimensions; one is Indological approach and other is sociological which Ghurye made use of his study and works in contribution to Indian society through these approaches. And Indological studies done through two types; one is Indology or Indic studies and other is oriental studies. And his contribution to Indian sociology and his life and his study and his teaching career and so on which gives the whole aspect of the Ghurye's life and his personality. Caste and Race in India summarized which is one of the best books of G. S Ghurye.
Key Words
Indology, Textual, Hindu tradition, caste, race, kin and kinship system, caste system, Indological approach, sociological approach, Indic studies, oriental and caste and race in India.
Introduction
Govind Sadashiv Ghurye was an Indologist, Sociologist and Anthropologist who was born 12th Dec 1893 village called Malwan in the district of Ratnagiri of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. When we see Ghurye as the indologist as the study of Indian society he actually comprises the Indological approaches which mostly concepts, theories and frameworks of Indian civilization which is unique to Indian society. He died on 28th Dec 1983 at the age 90, Mumbai. He was the professor of sociology at Mumbai University in 1924 as the second person to head the department of sociology.
There are two approaches to the study of Indian society; one is Indological and other is Sociological approach. Indological approaches claims that Indian society can be understood only through the concepts, theories and frameworks of Indian civilization. And Sociological approach gives more importance to the empirical structure in the field than to the culture framework of Indian civilization.
Indology means a systematic study of Indian culture (systematic study of books which available in Vedic and ancient times). It is both as independent discipline in itself and a particular approach in Indian sociology. Indological studies comprise of investigation of language, beliefs, ideas, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, work of art, rituals, ceremonies and other related components of culture. It dependent on inter-disciplinary work like methods of philology its origin and needs demonstrate, the incorporation of art history, archeology, philosophy, folklore, anthropology and even economics and law. As we see Indology is much older than sociology as independent discipline in India.
Ghurye's Education and Personal life
His early schooling was at the Aryan Education Society's High School, Girgaum, in Mumbai. He joined Elphinstone College where he did his B. A Sanskrit for which he received Bhau Daji Prize and M. A Sanskrit for which won Chancellor's Gold medal. While doing his Post Graduation he too wrote essay on 'Bombay as an Urban Centre' for which he wins Scholarship and he further plan to study; so he moved to England. He did his PhD under the guidance of L. T Hobhouse at London school of Economics; there he finds unsatisfied and moved to Cambridge University in 1922; Ghurye was deeply influenced by W. H. R Rivers who was his PhD guide. After River's sudden death in 1922, A. C Haddon guide Ghurye for his thesis and he completes in 1922. When one looks into his personal life; Ghurye was born of Sarawat Brahmin community and according to his autobiography, his parents believed him to be an incarnation of his grandfather who had lost his life in Kashi, in the holy Ganges in flood which as a philgrimage he was named after his grandfather Govind. He was married to Sajubai of Vengurla, a town near Malwan. He had one son whose name is Sudhish Ghurye, he was a Mathematician and Statistician and he had one daughter named Kumud G Ghurye who is a Barrister.
Ghurye's Career
Ghurye soon completion of PhD from Cambridge University; he came back to his home town and got appointed as the head of department of the department of sociology in Mumbai University in 1924 and he became professor in 1934 and he retired 1959. The department of sociology was actually founded by Patrick Geddes in 1919. When Ghurye took it over, the department came alive once again and he is considered as the real founder or the father of sociology in India. He shaped the study of sociology from there on; he also founded the Indian Sociological society in 1951 and established in 1952 and he remained its president for 15 years, then he too circulated some newsletter like Sociological Bulletin and sociological journal. He also headed the Bombay anthropological society for some years. He trained 40 PhD's scholar in a 35 years of his teaching career, then he again trained 16 PhD's scholar after his retirement. Some of the notable students of him were the social reformer and intellectual thinkers like M.S.A Rao, Iravati Karve, M.N Srinivas, A.R Desai, I. P Desai, Y.B Damle and so on. He also had the opportunities to see the 'Dr. G S Ghurye Award' being instituted in his honour. His book 'caste and race in India' is regarded as a classic in the field.
Ghurye's Contribution
G. S Ghurye's work is worth of inquiring into two.
His role in promoting and directing the course of research in diverse fields of Indian society. – as a teacher, as an institution builders, as a research guide, as a scholar
His own substantive writings, his theoretical postulates, his vision of the role of sociology.
His writings have enormous diversity of themes and perspectives. The wide range of the two principal braches of the Indo-European people and Europe and other interest of work are like Rajput architecture and funerary monuments, sadhus in India, Sex in America, Shakespeare, Kalidas, Castes, Tribes and Races, metropolitan civilization and so on. His writings have been gathered from all sources – literatures, historical, archaeological, sculptural, and painting and so on. His works were like-
Caste and race in India
Culture and society
Indian sadhus
Religious consciousness
Social tension in India
Scheduled tribes
Vedic India and so on.
And when one look to "caste and race in India" which is one of the best of Ghurye in which he discusses combined historical, anthropological and sociological perspectives to understand caste and kinship system in India. In this book he tried to analyses caste system through textual evidences and structural and cultural perspectives. Ghurye studies caste system from a historical, comparative and integrative perspective; later he did comparative study for kinship in Indo- European cultures. After his study, Ghurye emphasis two important points as caste and kinship.
The kin and caste networks in India had parallels in some other societies.
The kinship and caste in India served in the past as integrative frameworks.
By taking these two point Ghurye tries to evaluate society which are actually base on the integration of diverse, racial, or ethnic groups, and Ghurye highlights six structural features of caste systems.
Segmental division
Hierarchy
Pollution and purity
Civil and religious disabilities and privileges of different section
Lack of choice of occupation
Restriction on marriage
After looking those features; Ghurye makes the statement saying that "'caste' started with 'race'" which is analyzed by the father of Indian Sociology by G. S Ghurye himself in which he argued and view 'caste' as a deprivative of 'race'. This entirely follows the Sanskrit scriptures in which he was brilliant and knowledgeable in using it and he made 'Aryan' race theory which is a myth because of
There are no race
The idea of an entire group being 'Aryan' is wrong.
But whether these people are called Aryan is a just ordinary migrant or may be of imagination. In 'caste and race in India' (An article by Carol Upadhya 2000 entitled- The hindu Nationalist sociology of G. S Ghurye) Ghurye concludes the Indo Aryan belonged to the larger Indo European stock that dispersed from its homeland after 5000 B.C. The branch that entered India about 2500 B.C carried with it the early 'Vedic religion' and the Brahmanic variety of the Indo Aryan civilization developed later in the Gangetic plain only with the caste system. Ghurye interpret the 'varna as colour' and the idea of 'dasas' described by the Aryan were the 'dark' and snub-nosed' natives who later encountered when they entered India. 'Caste' derived from varna classification of vedic age which differentiates the 'Arya' and 'Dasa'. The caste system originated as an endogamous institutions as the Indo- Aryan Brahmines attempted to maintain their purity by keeping themselves apart from the local population. Actually speaking it is the historical fact which is described in Sanskrit books. Cate was maintained by endogamy and hyper gamy there is a correspondence between caste and Physical type or race. In caste and race Ghurye examines Risely's theory in great detail through a reanalysis of the anthropometrical data in which he finds that outside the core area of Aryan settlement, 'Hindustan' Physical type doesn't conform to caste rank.
Briefing out the book "Caste and Race in India"
'Caste and race' is the best book of Ghurye in which he focuses on 'caste'. The first two chapters identify the basic 'features of the caste system' and analyze the nature of caste groups'. These chapters largely descriptive and consider caste as it was in the 1920s. In these Ghurye notes the very loose affiliation of caste with occupation, sect and other forms of difference, but emphasizes the looseness rather than affiliation. The next two chapters follow the concept of 'Cate through the ages' in four periods.
Vedic period with its vedic and Brahmanic text.
Post Vedic period- dominated by the laws of the Aryan, the great epics, Buddhist writings.
Period of Dharmasastras- summed up in manner at the outset and in the Vishnu purana at the end.
Modern period in which various texts recombined and flowered into a more systematic tradition.
Through these Ghurye argues that classical writers had developed the concepts of caste through discussion of the four varnas-
Brahmin
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Sudra
Moving to the chapter 5 and 7 consider the relation of race and caste in which Ghurye immediately jumps into the controversial argument between Herbert Risely a colonial administrator and census officer committed to 'racial' theories of the origin of caste. Through this Ghurye shows that a strong race/ caste correlation exist only in Hindustan; his most striking chapter concern the current situation of caste. He knew the current 'reality' of caste is in larger part a creation of the British census. Prof. Ghurye was the doyen of indian sociologist, published the first edition of 'caste and race in India' in 1932. The following three editions recast to deal with additional aspects of the subject matter, appeared in 1950, 1956 and 1961 respectively. The present edition is an expanded version with five new chapters.
Caste, sub-caste: fusion or fission?
Caste, Sub- caste and kin
Caste and politics: general
Caste and politics in Tamil Nadu
A casteless society or a plural society?
Critics for Ghurye
Tradition and modernity in which Ghurye never entered into the tradition in Indian society rather he stressed on Indian tradition are actually Hindu tradition.
His main concern was the Hindu society rather looking the whole society
His works are based on textual and scripture data in which there may be biasness while writing
He fails to recognize qualitative changes that has happen to modern India
He doesn't make clear cut distinction between caste and tribe
He is ethnographer, not sociology- his book fail to come up from the level of ethnography of that of sociology (Economics and political weekly- K. C Alexander)
Amrit Barla, Post Graduate Student,
[email protected], Contact-09486449902, Department of Sociology, School of Social Science and International studies, Pondicherry University
