Categories Anthropology II

II.4.2 Shyama Chandra Dube

Shyama Chandra Dube (1922-1996) is a well known anthropologist of India . His works were multidisciplinary in nature .

CONTRIBUTIONS TO TRIBAL STUDY

 His first book , The Kamar is a full length monograph of the tribe Kamar of Madhya Pradesh

 CONTRIBUTIONS TO VILLAGE STUDIES

His another book , Indian Village deals with total study considering historical , geographical , political perspectives as well as economic , religious , social practices of village Shamirpet of Telangana . They provide comprehensive insights into complex web of village life in India .

CONTRIBUTIONS TO POLITICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

For him fundamental principles of caste ranking is a concept of ritual purity & pollution . In the case of Shamirpet it is determined based on traditions of prescribed daily rituals food eaten occupations followed , & myths .

In his paper titled ‘ Dominant caste and village leadership ” he added to the concepts and methods of study of rural leadership in India. He says political power is concentrated in few hands rather diffused in the caste .

CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUTH STUDIES

 In his paper ‘ The Restive students :Strands and themes in Contemoary Youth culture ‘ he objects to the term indian students as an undifferentiated mass . He identifies different sub cultures of contemporary youth .

CONTRIBUTION TO FAMILY PLANNING RESEARCH

Dube studied the diffusion of IUCD (intra uterine devices) which were introduced as family panning devices . He suggested the need for improvement in research tools , scale to measure variables .

CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME RESEARCH

In his book ” India’s changing villages ‘ based on fieldwork in villages in UP deals with changes brought in villages by invitation of community development schemes

Dube followed structural functional structural approach in village studies . Thus interlinking various elements of social structure at the individual level as well as higher level to bring about solidarity & consensus among villages.

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