Dr. Ratheesh Kumar || Modernity and the Transformation of Indian Social Structure || JNU Academic

Introduction and Context

Opening Remarks

• The speaker expresses gratitude to Professor Mahajan, Professor Deepipangar Gupta, and Dr. Rajay from JNU for their contributions.

• The speaker shares feelings of anxiety about delivering the presentation, referencing past readings on modernity during their PhD studies.

Engaging with Key Concepts

Addressing Cultural Differences

• The speaker aims to explore questions rather than summarize Gupta's work directly, initiating a dialogue.

• They reference Lévi-Strauss’s ideas on cultural differences and universality in consciousness as foundational to their discussion.

Impossibilities in Modernity

Conceptual Framework

• The speaker introduces key concepts such as intersubjectivity, ethics, and iso-ontology versus polyontologies in non-modern societies.

• They emphasize the importance of understanding what cannot be done within societal frameworks, particularly in South Asian contexts.

Sociological Perspectives on Modernity

Challenges within Sociology

• The speaker reflects on the challenges of defending sociology as a discipline while discussing modernity and modernization.

• They note that discussions around modernity often face difficulties due to its association with colonialism and Western perspectives.

Ethics and the Other

Philosophical Underpinnings

• The speaker references Hegel's philosophy regarding morality and ethics, highlighting the significance of recognizing others' existence equally.

• They discuss how this recognition poses dilemmas for social sciences in India when addressing modernity.

Research Implications

Understanding Participation

• The concept of ethical engagement is linked back to project modernity, emphasizing simultaneous existence despite societal hierarchies.

• Drawing from Johannes Fabian’s work on time and anthropology, they stress ongoing struggles with understanding 'the other' in research contexts.

Conclusion: Relating to Others

Final Thoughts on Intersubjectivity

Understanding the Hierarchy of the Other

The Concept of Iso-Ontology

• Professor Gupta discusses the methodological principle of recognizing "the other" within the self, emphasizing iso-ontology as a means to acknowledge sameness amidst differences.

• This recognition allows for elevating "the other" through simultaneity, a concept referenced from Jonas Fabian's work.

Subject Matter in Indian Sociology

• The speaker raises questions about the evolution of subject matter in Indian sociology from its inception to present-day studies.

• Dominant themes include Indian villages, caste systems, and religiosity, particularly Hinduism and its various traditions studied by sociologists and anthropologists.

Theoretical Foundations

• Key figures influencing theoretical scholarship include Marx, Durkheim, and Alcott Parsons; lesser-known scholars like George Simmel also contribute significantly.

• The discussion highlights how certain scholars faced challenges in their travels and were often marginalized within their disciplines.

Modernity vs. Modernization

• A distinction is made between modernity (not a concern in Indian sociology) and modernization (viewed as a colonial project).

• Postcolonial thinkers like Dipesh Chakrabarty discuss concepts such as "waiting room history," which reflect on societal progress.

Horizontal vs. Vertical Study Approaches

• The speaker critiques traditional top-down approaches to studying society, advocating for horizontal perspectives where all subjects are equally placed temporally and spatially.

• Two types of social relations explored are kinship (heavily documented in textbooks) and friendship, which remains underexplored in sociology compared to philosophical discourse.

The Impossibility of Studying Friendship

Challenges in Sociological Research

• There is an observed difficulty in integrating friendship into empirical sociological studies due to existing paradigms that prioritize kinship.

• Philosophical discussions on friendship span from Aristotle's ethics to Derrida's politics but lack empirical engagement within sociology.

Temporality and Co-Evilness

• Drawing from Fabian again, the denial of co-evalness complicates research on marginalized groups or "the other."

• Researchers often grapple with their roles as both subjects and objects of study while navigating temporal biases inherent in research methodologies.

Ethics in Contemporary Research

Ethical Considerations

• Current ethical standards require researchers working with human participants to obtain clearance from institutional boards.

• This has led to increased awareness among researchers regarding their positionality—especially those who belong to dominant groups studying subaltern populations.

Dilemmas Surrounding Domination Studies

• The challenge arises when attempting to study processes of domination; ethical considerations can act as gatekeeping mechanisms that hinder this exploration.