Contours of South Asian Social Anthropology: Connecting India and Nepal

This book provides a conceptual and methodological framework to understand South Asia by engaging with the practices of sociology and social anthropology in India and Nepal. It highlights Nepal or South Asia as a subject for social anthropological research and emphasizes pluriversal knowledge production through regional scholarship, dialogic social anthropology, South Asian episteme, post-Western social anthropology, and the decolonization of disciplines. It examines the issues of methodological nationalism and social anthropological research tradition in South Asia and shows how social anthropology can develop disciplinary crossroads within South Asia.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 136 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive work offers a novel and insightful approach to understanding South Asia by engaging with the practices of sociology and social anthropology in India and Nepal. By bridging historical, political, religious, and cultural divides within the region, it presents a fresh perspective on South Asia, fostering a deeper understanding of its complexities. Drawing from the rich experiences of Indian and Nepali social anthropology, the book explores the presence of Nepal studies in Indian social anthropology and vice versa. It emphasizes Nepal or South Asia as a subject for social anthropological research, highlighting the importance of pluriversal knowledge production through regional scholarship, dialogic social anthropology, South Asian episteme, post-Western social anthropology, and the decolonization of disciplines.

In examining the themes and challenges of conducting social anthropology in Nepal by Indian scholars, the book assesses the potential for developing a South Asian social anthropological worldview. It sheds light on why social anthropological and sociological inquiry in India has struggled to extend its focus beyond the territorial boundaries of the nation-state. The book also delves into the issues of methodological nationalism and social anthropological research traditions in South Asia. By employing the Saidian framework of traveling theory and Bhambras idea of connected sociologies, it demonstrates how social anthropology can forge disciplinary crossroads within South Asia.

This book is a valuable resource for students, teachers, and researchers engaged in the study of South Asian studies, anthropology, sociology, social anthropology, South Asian sociology, cultural anthropology, social psychology, area studies, cultural studies, Nepal studies, and Global South studies. It provides a rich and multidisciplinary perspective on the region, offering valuable insights and methodologies for understanding its diverse cultures, societies, and historical contexts.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032000220