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The modem Bengal has been the principal centre of anthropological investigation from
the very inception of anthropology in India. Calcutta is said to be the cradle of Indian
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anthropologists as different anthropological ideas and talents have always been diffused
from his spot by enhancing its glory.
Later, when the fields of anthropology were extended to include the complex society,
Indian anthropologists also made them involved in the studies like acculturation,
culture-contacts, technological change, sociopolitical organization, economic activities
etc. Gradually the study of civilization, applied and action research also gained a ground
in India.
In this phase of anthropological development, apart from the impact of British and
American anthropologists, influence of French Structural anthropologists was also
found. Approach of Levi-Strauss was followed in this field of kinship and folklore
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studies. Dumont and Leach influenced considerably in the study of Caste system.
Among the Indian anthropologists D.N. Majumdar, M.N. Srinivas and S.C. Dube made
notable contributions to community and village studies. American anthropologists
namely, R. Redfield, M. Singer, M. Marriott and Bernard S. Cohn devoted themselves in
the study of the dimensions of Indian civilization.
Redfield’s ‘Great traditions and little traditions’ as well as ‘Folk-urban Continuum’ were
the universal propositions. K. Gaugh, E. Leach, N.K. Bose and A. Beteille were busy for
unveiling the socio-economic basis of Indian society. Beteille conducted his studies on
caste and stratification in Tamil Nadu.
Srinivas’s concept of sanskritization and westernization are the important tools to
understand the caste dynamics. American anthropologist G.P. Steed and British
anthropologist G.M. Carstairs had spent huge time to relate anthropology with
psychology. Uma Chowdhury and R.C. Roy fried to relate personality structure with the
cultural tradition. Thus, horizon of Indian anthropology gradually expanded with time.
Indian scholars felt that the application of western model would be totally unwise, as
those seemed to be inadequate to explain the complexities of Indian society and
civilization. Moreover, the spirit of nationalism was very prominent among the
anthropologists of this generation.
Therefore, many of them devised their own approach to study their own society. For
example, N.K. Bose developed his indigenous ‘Swaraj model’ which was an in-depth
approach on tribe and caste to know the process of modernization. A.K. Danda
developed a composite culture model. He conceived civilization as an amalgamation of
number of Traditions—both great and small. S.C. Dube looked at the Indian civilization
with a six-fold classification of Traditions—classical, national, regional, local, western
and local sub-cultural traditions of social groups. G.S. Ghurye explained Indian social
system on the basis of classical writings. I. Karve tried to understand Indian civilization
with four distinct variables historical, linguistic, cultural and structural. B.K. Roy
Burman introduced a concept of nation and sub-nation; he wanted to understand the
social system of India in terms of socio-political process.

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