Synopsis Anthropology and sociology have long histories in India. Yet, with the exception of fieldwork experience, there is neither much available on the institutional and material contexts of these disciplines, nor on the practices of pioneering anthropologists and sociologists. The present book fills an important gap. While the sociology of India is not purely national phenomenon (scholars and centers studying Indian exist outside) and while western theories have been important, this book shows that local influences and personalities played a major role in shaping the field. The volume spans a century of life and work, from the late nineteenth to the late twentieth century, and focuses on scholars with varying research trajectories. However, it also shows the threads that bind these scholars: their common concern with nation-building, social reform and the value of science. Combining biography, institutional history, and critical assessment, this book will interest all anthropologists, sociologists, and South Asianists, as well as those interested in intellectual history and biography.