M. N. Srinivas

Professor M.N. Srinivas, in a discussion led by Jack Goody(JG) and Stephen Levinson(SL) on 24th May 1982. Those present include Deborah Swallow (DS), Caroline Humphrey (CH), Gordon Prain (GP), Marcus Banks (MB), Alan Macfarlane(AM), Sarah Harrison (SH) and Michael Madha(MM).

The film is approximately 1 hour 37 minutes long and was filmed by the Audio Visual Aids Unit in Cambridge, under the direction of Martin Gienke. It was originally filmed on high-band u-matic and converted to digital video by way of high-8 film.

Brief summary with time code:

J.G. Introduction; asks about Bombay where they first met.

0:01:15

M.S. Early education; first fieldwork among the Coorgs; to Oxford May 1945; Radcliffe-Brown; Ruth Benedict's 'Patterns of Culture'; Coorg data from a functionalist viewpoint; influence of Ghurye who had encouraged him to go to Oxford; Coorg thesis finished under Evans-Pritchard; job created for him at Oxford as lecturer in Indian sociology 1947; allowed to do a year's fieldwork in Rampur before taking up his lectureship; experience of fieldwork; 'The Fieldworker in the Field' edited with colleagues; need for Indian students to get outside own narrow culture.

0:28:45

J.G. How has balance been achieved within the overlapping fields of sociology and anthropology in India?

0:30:55

M.S. There is mainstream sociology in India as well; influence of Ghurye, N.K. Bose, etc. who argued for comparative sociology and dialogue with historians, demographers, Indologists etc.; criticism of Rivers 'Todas' where influence of Hinduism not addressed;

0:37:49

J.G. Beteille encouraged students to study mainstream society as well as tribal; working in own culture and difficulties of lack of perspective and as participant observer.

0:40:50

M.S. India very rich in diversity; can do a lot of backyard anthropology; Rampur only 22 miles from home in Mysore but quite outside own experience; no problem insider-outsider.

0:49:04

S.L. Are there difficulties due to caste assignation?

0:49:25

M.S. In Rampur was expected to behave as a Brahmin; dependence on goodwill of headman; difficulty in meeting with Harijan; villagers' understanding of his fieldwork, helped by role of Brahmin to be a learner; village disputes.

0:53:59

C.H. Who were the important people for you in village?

0:54:30

M.S. Describes three most important informants.

0:59:25

G.P. How did you prevent alienation of others?

0:59:47

M.S. Under constant observation by villagers; village factions and problems with dealing with them; sensitivity to factions and castes.

1:06:49

A.M. Effect on persons as objects of study by what you write.

1:08:35

M.S. Strain of seeing villagers as objects; seamy side of data collection; difficulty of asking sensitive questions; by being friends mitigated feelings of manipulation; gifts and help to villagers in recompense.

1:12:28

M.B. Distancing effect. Does anyone in India work within own culture?

1:12;57

M.S. Yes, but important to distance yourself first by getting away physically and writing; study one or two places before your own.

1:15:54

M.M. Difficulty of variant information from different informants.

1:16:12

M.S. Understanding context to weigh information; people always want to present themselves and village in best light; anthropologist always outsider but with privileged information.

1:19:20

J.G. What made you study sociology?

1:19:47

M.S. Accident of illness as a child so not thought strong enough to study medicine; advised to do social philosophy at Mysore; influence of Ghurye.

1:23:40

S.L. You did degree in momentous period. Was anthropology associated with British Raj?

1:23:3

M.S. Members of Indian National Congress opposed to I.C.S. officers becoming anthropologist; antipathy to specific tribal areas; Ghurye's suggestion that problem of tribals same as the poor acceptable to Congress; conflict between Nationalists' approach to tribals and British approach.

1:27:30

J.G. Give account of career after going back to Rampur in 1948.

1:28:23

M.S. Baroda June 1951; stayed eight years developing department; to Delhi 1959 to start another department; Andre Beteille one of first students; growth of department; 1972 left to set up a new institute in Bangalore; now has fellowships which allows me to do own work; too much of life spent teaching and setting up departments; Delhi department combining sociology and anthropology.