MNS
Sociologist

M. N. Srinivas

Born 16 November 1916 · Karnataka — Died 30 November 1999

Developed the concept of 'dominant caste' in Indian sociology through ethnographic study of Rampura.

Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas was an Indian sociologist and social anthropologist. He is mostly known for his work on caste and caste systems, social stratification, Sanskritisation and Westernisation in southern India and the concept of 'dominant caste'. He is considered to be one of the pioneering personalities in the field of sociology and social anthropology in India as his work in Rampura remains one of the early examples of ethnography in India. That was in contrast to most of his contemporaries of the Bombay School, who focused primarily on a historical methodology to conduct research, mainly in Indology.

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A detail that
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M. N. Srinivas’s fieldwork in Rampura in the late 1940s is considered among India’s earliest detailed village ethnographies, predating many contemporary social studies in the country.

The Story

1
In 1948, M. N. Srinivas began immersive fieldwork in Rampura, a village in Karnataka, producing one of India’s earliest ethnographic case studies that later became the book 'The Remembered Village'.
2
🌟 By 1959, he had founded the Department of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, pioneering institutional sociology education in post-independence India.
3His concept of 'dominant caste', introduced in the 1950s, reshaped how sociologists understood caste beyond ritual status, focusing instead on economic and political power within villages.
4Srinivas’s studies in the 1950s and 1960s introduced 'Sanskritisation'—a process where lower castes adopt upper-caste practices to climb social hierarchy, challenging static views of caste.

🏅 Awards & Honours

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Padma Bhushan

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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Despite his deep engagement with Western sociology, Srinivas’s early work in Rampura village (1948) remains a cornerstone of indigenous Indian ethnography rather than imported theory.

📸 Through the Years

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🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Born in Karnataka into a Brahmin family
Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas was born on November 16, 1916, in Karnataka, India, marking the start of a future pioneer in Indian sociology.
1916
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Career
Fieldwork in Rampura village
Srinivas conducted immersive ethnographic research in Rampura, Karnataka, leading to his influential book 'The Remembered Village'.
1948
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Career
Founded Sociology Department at Delhi School of Economics
He established the first formal sociology department at the Delhi School of Economics, institutionalizing the discipline in India.
1959
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Career
Introduced concept of 'dominant caste'
Srinivas presented the idea of dominant caste groups wielding economic and political power, shifting caste analysis paradigms.
1962
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Death
Passed away in Bangalore
Srinivas died on November 30, 1999, in Bangalore, two weeks after his 83rd birthday, leaving behind a rich sociological legacy.
1999
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🗝️Discoveries

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01 / 05
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

In 1959, Srinivas single-handedly established the Sociology Department at the Delhi School of Economics, marking a formal beginning of sociological education in India’s premier economic university.

02 / 05
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

The term 'dominant caste' coined by Srinivas identified caste groups with economic and political power rather than ritual purity, a radical shift in caste studies during the 1950s.

03 / 05
👤PERSONAL

Srinivas’s exposure to Radcliffe-Brown’s structural functionalism during his Oxford fellowship deeply influenced his approach, contrasting with the Bombay School’s historical focus.

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🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

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M. N. Srinivas
More from this archive
M. N. Srinivas
01
M. N. Srinivas
Monograph of a Sociologist: David Gellner on MN Srinivas
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Monograph of a Sociologist: David Gellner on MN Srinivas
Colliding viewpoints of Indian Sociologists
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Colliding viewpoints of Indian Sociologists

🌱 What changed because of them

Srinivas institutionalized sociology in India by founding the sociology department at Delhi School of Economics, which became a hub for social science research. His concepts of 'dominant caste' and 'Sanskritisation' forged new analytical tools, deeply influencing sociological and anthropological studies on caste and social change across India. His work shifted focus from historical textual analysis to living social realities, impacting both academic curricula and research methods.

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