History of Anthropological Thought

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THE THOUGHT of any subject is the mother of all concepts. Its history deals with theories developed and contributions made by various schools of anthropological thinkers, who belong to various. Although the study of man, his society and culture has been interesting area of research right from the period of Greek travelers, but establishment of evolution-are theory of culture during 19th Century A.D. is regarded as theoretical beginning of the subject of anthropology. As soon as evolutionary school was established many schools of anthropological thought came into existence which began to claim an anti-evolutionary approach. These schools were diffusional, functional structural, cultural and personality, and civilizational and complex culture study. Around middle of 20th century. a movement arose among anthropologists to re-shape anthropological theories. As a result of which neo-anthropological school came into existence under every conceptual frame work

The book attempts to describe the basic postulates, methodology. general contributions merits and criticism of each school of anthropological theories. Within each school critical contribution of each sub- school and individual thinkers has been presented systematically. Field- work tradition in anthropology and contribution of eminent Indian anthropologists have also been explained with a view to fulfil the need of teachers, students and researchers. The book has been written keeping in view the syllabus of postgraduate study, U.G.C. National Research Fellowship/Lecturership test and administrative service examination.

Dr. V.S. Upadhyay was University Professor in the Post-graduate Department of Anthropology, Ranchi University, Ranchi, Bihar. He has been an author of 30 research papers which have been published in the journals of national and international repute. He is an authority on anthropology of development. His recent work in the field of Medical Anthropology, specially on Leprosy, is first of its kind in India.

Gaya Pandey (b. 1954) is a very Senior Faculty Member of the Department of Anthropology, Ranchi University, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Ever since his joining in the department as faculty in 1985, he has been sincerely and academically engaged in teaching and researches in Post-graduate Department of Anthropology. He has contributed a lot in organising a number of national seminar, symposium and workshop in the department. He has attended three dozens seminars and symposium of national and international level. He has to his credit three and half dozen articles in Journals of national and international repute. He has to his credit nine books under co-authorship and fourteen books under single authorship. Some of his recently published books are Bio-cultural Evolution, Jaivik Sanskritik Udvikasa, Bharatiya Pragaitihasik-Puratattvik Manavashastra, Sampreshanatmak Manavashastra, Neo-Anthropological Theory, Chikitsatmak Manavashastra, Social-cultural Anthropology. Anthropological Research Methodology: Theory and Practice and Indian Prehestoric Archaeological Anthropology.

Book writing is a constant phenomenon since the birth of civilization However, the purpose might differ from one to another contribution. The field of Anthropology, though quite developed in the wester countries, is still in its adolescence in India. It is unfortunate that the society and the administration have not realised its importance in academic as well as applied field. This is clear from the fact that hardly 32 universities (out of 170) have independent departments of Anthropology in India.

This has also hindered the growth of book writing in various fields of Anthropology, and the anthropological theory is the worst sufferer. There are books (see bibliography), but the matter is either dealt in very detail or in a form not conducive to Indian process of thinking and expression, as most of them are written by foreigners.

The purpose of writing the book is purely contextual. The authors do not claim to have contributed something new which cannot be found in others writings. Sometimes others expressions have also been followed as it is, word by word in toto. All this have been done with the sole aim to bring maximum materials under one cover for the benefits of the students of Anthropology. The simple language of the book may help them to understand the contributions of the Great Masters of Anthropology. One cannot claim to be perfect in expression, therefore the readers might excuse us for the mistakes, which might still be there in spite of our best efforts.

Anthropological Thought' deals with theories developed and contributions made by different anthropologists. Literature available suggests, that the man, his culture and society, have been subject of study right from the time of Herodotus, a Greek traveller and philosopher (c. 434 B.C.-425 B.C.). It has been calculated that his travel covered some seventeen hundred miles east to west, and sixteen hundred miles from north to south. In his various writings, he wrote about more than fifty different cultural groups. He made observations about the spoken languages, material culture, marriage and divorce rules, laws, government, war pattern and religion. He was the first to report couvade, the custom in which father goes to bed, as if for child bearing, when his wife is having a baby. His descriptions of marriage pattern cover the whole' Tylorian range, from promiscuity to patrilineal monogamy. However, there is general consensus among the scholars that the establishment of evolutionary theory in the field of cultural anthropology marked the theoretical beginning of the subject of anthropology, T.K. Peniman, in his book Hundred Years of Anthropology (1935), has treated the origin of the discipline of anthropology as only hundred years old. Malinowski, in his book Scientific Theory of Culture (1944), has opined that the theoretical beginning and teaching of anthropology appeared too late in comparison to other social sciences. The subject was taught under different social sciences, because in the beginning, it was difficult to decide the subject-matter of anthropology. But now anthropology has emerged as a full-fledged discipline of teaching and research.

**Contents and Sample Pages**