"At the point of confluence of sociology and Indology": Louis Dumont’s postulate reconsidered:

In this article, I aim to show how Louis Dumont’s famous claim that ‘the condition for a sound development of Sociology of India is found in the establishment of the proper relation between it and classical Indology’ has become obsolete and was from the beginning a problematic postulate. I first dev...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser: Michaels, Axel (VerfasserIn)
Dokumenttyp: Article (Journal)
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: October 14, 2020
In: Contributions to Indian sociology
Year: 2020, Jahrgang: 54, Heft: 3, Pages: 357-387
ISSN:0973-0648
DOI:10.1177/0069966720945513
Online-Zugang:Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1177/0069966720945513
Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0069966720945513
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Verfasserangaben:Axel Michaels
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:In this article, I aim to show how Louis Dumont’s famous claim that ‘the condition for a sound development of Sociology of India is found in the establishment of the proper relation between it and classical Indology’ has become obsolete and was from the beginning a problematic postulate. I first develop the historical background of the denigration of anthropological approaches in India against the rise of an idealising Indology as a philological discipline. Then I discuss the structural, methodological and ideological problems that made it difficult to follow Dumont’s advice to search for the point of confluence of sociology and Indology. Finally, I place Dumont’s holistic approach in relation to the holistic structure of academic disciplines that emerged in the 19th century on the basis of the nation-state model and argue that it is misleading and reductive to think that ‘the construction of an Indian Sociology rests in part upon the existence of Indology’.
Beschreibung:Gesehen am 12.11.2020
Beschreibung:Online Resource
ISSN:0973-0648
DOI:10.1177/0069966720945513