Introduction

Although the introduction provides an overview of the six chapters, it also discusses further a few points and adds a few new points. First is a fuller and sharper discussion of Srinivas writing his doctoral dissertation at Oxford on the basis of the same data he had used for the Bombay dissertation. The Oxford dissertation became important due to critical change in the theoretical foundation - from pseudo-historical evolutionism and diffusionism to structural-functionalism. The latter enabled Srinivas to lead Indian sociology and social anthropology on the path of an empirical social science. The critics of Srinivas’s functionalism ignores this point. Second Srinivas’s emphasis on fieldwork led him to lead Indian sociology from the book view to the field view. Third, the application of Radcliffe-Brown’s ideas on rituals led Srinivas to bring about a more realistic view of Hinduism and especially to formulate the concept of Sanskritisation. Fourth is how Srinivas became a leading scholar of caste. Fifth is how Srinivas developed the term vote bank, which is now part of popular language in English as well as Indian regional languages. Sixth is Srinivas’s work as an institute builder. Seventh is Srinivas’s work on customary law inspired by Max Gluckman’s work in Africa. And last is how Srinivas rejected many invitations to public offices and remained devoted to academic life.