He was born on 16 November 1916 in Mysore. He completed his B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology (1936) and Masters in Sociology from Mysore University in 1939. He obtained LLB (1940) and Ph. D. in Sociology (1945). He was appointed as University lecturer in Indian sociology at Oxford university (1948-51), Professor, University of Delhi(1959-72), Simon Visiting Professor , University of Manchester( 1963) to name a few. He has received several prestigious awards such as S.C. Roy Memorial Medal (1958), Honorary Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Society of Great Britain and Ireland (since 1964) and many others.
He has conducted fieldwork in Coorg (1940-42), in Tamil Nadu for three months (1943), Andhra for three months (1944), Rampura in Mysore for 13 months (1948 and 1952). Based on the fieldwork among the Coorgs, he developed the concept of ‘Brahminisation’ which dealt with caste mobility. He authored and edited several renowned books and contributed more than fifty research articles in national and international journals. While Srinivas was staying in Stanford University in the USA, his field notes and other papers he was working on were lost due to a dormitory fire. He went on to recollect from memory the data he had collected and published Remembered Village in 1976, a unique ethnographic work. He had also published works such as Caste in Modern India in 1962, Social Change in Modern India in 1966 and edited India’s Villages in 1955. . He died on 30 November 1999 in Bangalore.
He has studied issues relating to national integration, dowry, bride wealth, the effect of industrialization on villages, urban communities, hospitals, gender issues, etc. Srinivas has done prolific research to study regional culture of South India and propounded various concepts to understand caste mobility and social change in Indian society. These concepts are sanskritization, westernization, secularization, dominant caste and concept of vertical and horizontal caste solidarity. He viewed village as a vertical entity which consisted of several horizontal layers each of which is a caste.
Sanskritization and Westernization
Srinivas introduced the concept of Sanskritization in his book, Religion and Society among Coorgs of South India (1952) to throw light upon the process of Social change occurring among low caste Hindus and other groups in upward direction. It basically refers to a process by which a low Hindu caste group attempts to change its attributes that define it in order to claim a higher position in caste hierarchy particularly ‘twice born (dwija) caste. The process involves a change in dietary habits from nonvegetarianism to vegetarianism and a change in one’s occupational habit. The claim is usually made over a period of a generation or two, before arrival is conceded. Sanskritization often results in upward mobility for a particular caste but mobility may also occur without Sanskritization and vice-versa. Generally a caste claims a position which its neighbours are not willing to acquire. Harijan caste in Mysore does not accept cooked food and even drinking water from their superior caste, Smiths. The glimpse of Sanskritization is visible in almost all villages of India. In Bihar, Rajwars, a scheduled caste, claim themselves as Rajvanshi Kshatriya.
Sanskritization often results in upward mobility for a particular caste, but mobility may also occur in absence of Sanskritization and vice-versa. But the mobility related to Sanskritization causes positional changes in the system and not structural changes. Sanskritization may accompany erosion of cultural autonomy of the women folk, changes in family structure (inclination towards Hindu joint family) and a stronger caste organization with a higher tendency of out casting. Expanding means of transport and communication have hastened the Sanskritization process because of developing opportunities of cultural contact.
Sanskritization brought changes within the framework of Indian tradition whereas westernization was a change resulting from the contact of British socio-economic and cultural innovations.
Westernization is a process which includes all cultural changes and institutional reforms inflicted upon Indian society as it came in political and cultural proximity with British rule and governance. The changes occurred in various attributes of Indian society namely technology, institutions, ideology and beliefs. Westernization incorporates scientific approach, individualism, egalitarianism, rationalism and liberalism, rise of nationalism, establishment of technological and educational institutions and new political culture and leadership in the nation. It has assigned some flexibility to the earlier rigid caste system, promoted disintegration of joint family and induced several social reform activities. Abolition of sati is a prominent example of the impact of westernization.
Secularization
Srinivas opined that British rule accompanied secularization of Indian society and cultural institutions which over a period of time became stranger with increased spatial mobility, urbanization and advent of modern education. Unlike Sanskritization, It is a more generalized process affecting all Indians and not only Hindus and tribal population. Rationalism is an important trait of this process which aided to change individual and social life by replacing traditional ideology by modern views and ideas through principle of reason.
Dominant caste
Srinivas developed the concept of dominant caste in his paper ‘Dominant caste in Rampura’. A dominant caste is any caste that has numerical strength, economic power through ownership of land, political power and high place in local hierarchy in a village community. If a caste ranks low in the social hierarchy, it can become the dominant ruling caste or group in a village if it is numerically large, owns land and has political influence over village matters. The dominant caste plays a vital role in settlement of disputes even in case of non-dominant caste groups.
Vertical and Horizontal Caste solidarity
Srinivas viewed that some common cultural elements were shared by all castes residing in a locality from highest to lowest. Brahmins and Harijans of a particular area utilize common dialect and share common beliefs and ideas. Srinivas called this unity of caste as vertical solidarity. On the other hand, Brahmins of north, south and central India have common Sanskritic elements irrespective of their regions and languages. He termed this process as horizontal solidarity.
Village study
Srinivas considers village as the microcosm of Indian society and civilization. It is the village, which retains the traditional composition of India’s tradition. He viewed village as a vertical entity which consisted of several horizontal layers each of which is a caste. In the Book – Remembered Village (1976), Srinivas talks about social and economic reforms, which have taken place in Rampura.