Chapter 17 : Contribution of Ramkrishna Mukherjee to Indian Sociology

Background and Career

Ramkrishna Mukherjee was a distinguished scientist and sociologist known for his rigorous quantitative and historical approaches to Indian society.

• Education: Educated at Calcutta University (M.Sc., 1941) and Cambridge University (PhD, 1948).
• Key Academic and Professional Roles:
• Chief Research Officer, His Majesty's Social Survey, London (1948-49).
• Consultant, Government of Turkey (1949).
• Consultant, London School of Economics (1952).
• Guest Professor of Indian Studies, Humboldt University, Berlin (1953-57).
• Research Professor, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta (1957-1979).
• Adjunct Professor of Sociology, State University of New York, Binghamton.
• Institutional Leadership:
• President of the Indian Sociological Society (1972-74).
• Member of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) (1974).
• Member of the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association (1974-78).
• Global Research Experience: Conducted research in India, Bangladesh, U.K., France, Germany, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Turkey, and Uganda.

Key Terms

📌 Exam Tidbits

• Ramkrishna Mukherjee (1919): Pioneered systematic, quantitative, and inductive sociology in India; served as President of the Indian Sociological Society (1972-74).

Methodology

Mukherjee's primary methodological concerns centered on systematic and inductive sociology, diagnostic research, and related methodologies.

• Inductive Inferential Approach: He termed his mature methodology "inductive inferential." This approach is strictly neutral regarding the type of propositions (whether Marxist or non-Marxist) that a researcher chooses to test and verify.
• The Limits of History and Dialectics: According to Mukherjee, history and dialectics are only useful up to the level of formulating propositions, taxonomic categories, or social indicators. Beyond this formulation stage, the logical principles of testing and verification must operate entirely independently.
• Quantitative Rigor: He utilized systematic quantitative methodology to measure complex social phenomena, such as calculating kinship distance and the extent of change in family structures in West Bengal (1972, 1977).

Key Terms