Religion and Society among the Coorgs of South India

The reissue of Professor Srinivas’s classic work comes precisely fifty years after its first publication and fulfills an enduring demand from students and teachers of sociology and social anthropology in India This edition includes an introduction by Andre Beteille that traces and contextualizes Srinivas’s findings, and arguments in the book, including the intellectual influences, which shaped his thinking both in it, and on Indian society as a whole. The study is based on intensive fieldwork among the Coorgs, by Professor Srinivas during several visits in 1940 and 1941. The Coorgs, a handsome, brave, and proud people inhabiting the mountainous and forested district of Coorg in Karnataka, have long attracted the attention of scholars for their distinctive language, dress, and customs. The book offers to students of Indian society and culture, a unique text for studying religious beliefs and cultural practice through systematic empirical enquiry. It also draws from the traditions of social structure in anthropological research established by Radcliffe-Brown. In addition, the study reveals the opportunities and challenges of conducting anthropological research in India. A daring and innovative venture, this book ranks among the best-written monographs in social anthropological literature for its clarity, consistency, and rigour. It established Professor Srinivas not only as a leading student of Indian society, but also as a leading social anthropologist at home and amongst the foremost practitioners of the discipline abroad. This book is essential for students, teachers, and researchers in sociology, social anthropology, culture, and religion.