WHEN A GREAT TRADITION MODERNIZES: An Anthropological Approach to Indian Civilization

Book Details

• Author: Milton Singer

• Foreword by: M.N. Srinivas

• Language: English

• Edition: 2023

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• ISBN: 9788131613320

• Pages: 458

• Cover: Hardcover

• Release Date: 20-04-2023

About the Book

"The present book is indispensable not only to anyone who wishes to understand the forces operating beneath the surface in modern India but also to all students of social and cultural change and, in particular, of the modernization process in developing countries."
— M.N. Srinivas

Milton Singer’s landmark study offers a unique and richly detailed exploration of the intersection between tradition and modernity in Indian society. Based on nearly two decades of research and three intensive field trips to India, Passage to More than India presents a nuanced theory of cultural change as it unfolds within the lived realities of a modern Indian city—Madras (now Chennai). Through a blend of anthropological fieldwork and theoretical reflection, Singer probes how India’s enduring “Great Tradition” of Sanskritic Hinduism adapts, transforms, and survives in the urban context.

The book is structured into five parts, each delving into a different facet of Indian civilization—from comparative civilizational analysis and urban Hinduism, to industrial ethos and modernization. Highlights include a close study of Bhakti performances, industrial leadership, and the interplay between traditional values and socialist ideologies.

Singer’s insightful observations not only illuminate Madras’s cultural complexity but also speak to broader patterns of social transformation across civilizations. This volume serves as a foundational work for scholars of anthropology, sociology, South Asian studies, and anyone seeking to grasp the deeper layers of cultural continuity and change in postcolonial India.

Contents:

Part One: India and the Comparative Study of Civilizations

1. Passage to More than India: A Sketch of Changing European and American Images

2. Text and Context in the Study of Contemporary Hinduism

Part Two: Structure and Transformation of a Great Tradition

3. Search for a Great Tradition in Cultural Performances

4. The Social Organization of Sanskritic Hinduism in Madras City

5. Urbanization and Cultural Change: Bhakti in the City

Part Three: Myth, Ritual, and Social Change

6. The Radha-Krishna Bhajanas of Madras City

Part Four: Modernization and Traditionalization

7. The Social Organization of Indian Civilization

8. Industrial Leadership, the Hindu Ethic, and the Spirit of Socialism

• Appendix A: List of Companies

• Appendix B: Analysis of Backgrounds of Candidates Applying for Industrial Employment, 1963

Part Five: Beyond Tradition and Modernity

9. Beyond Tradition and Modernity in Madras

About the Author

Milton Singer was the Paul Klapper Professor of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago’s Department of Anthropology. An eminent cultural anthropologist, his academic work focused on the comparative study of civilizations, particularly India. He is known for integrating cultural anthropology with psychology and the philosophy of social sciences. His major works include Krishna: Myths, Rites and Attitudes (1966) and Structure and Change in Indian Society (1961), co-edited with Bernard S. Cohn.