Disjunctions between Field, Method and Concept: An Appraisal of M.N. Srinivas

Abstract Since the early fifties M.N. Srinivas's sociological imagination has defined the perspectives and methodologies that govern the contours of Indian sociology. This text, which is the seventh memorial M.N. Srinivas lecture, makes a critical assessment of Srinivas's contribution to sociology in India and to sociology of the world. It argues that Srinivas's theories and conceptual repertoire has not been able to capture the complexities of Indian society. It remains trapped in middle class, upper class and patriarchal orientations. The ‘field view’ that Srinivas advocated, the study of the micro (the caste system in the village) through participant observation is limiting and needs to be compensated and complemented by other methods. The paper argues for the imperative to assess the macro in order to examine the nature of contemporary polity and economy.