Anthropology Syllabus — Paper I & Paper II

1.1. Meaning, Scope and Development of Anthropology

Meaning, scope and development of Anthropology.

1.2. Relationship with Other Disciplines

Relationships with other disciplines: Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, Earth Sciences and Humanities.

1.3. Main Branches of Anthropology — Scope and Relevance

• Social-Cultural Anthropology
• Biological Anthropology
• Archaeological Anthropology
• Linguistic Anthropology

1.4. Human Evolution and Emergence of Man

• Biological and cultural factors in human evolution.
• Theories of Organic Evolution: Pre-Darwinian, Darwinian and Post-Darwinian.
• Synthetic theory of evolution; brief outline of terms and concepts of evolutionary biology: Doll’s rule, Cope’s rule, Gause’s rule, parallelism, convergence, adaptive radiation, mosaic evolution.

1.5. Primates: Characteristics, Evolutionary Trend and Behaviour

• Characteristics of Primates; evolutionary trends and primate taxonomy.
• Primate adaptations — arboreal and terrestrial.
• Primate behaviour; tertiary and quaternary fossil primates.
• Living major primates.
• Comparative anatomy of Man and Apes; skeletal changes due to erect posture and its implications.

1.6. Phylogenetic Status, Characteristics and Distribution of Hominids

• Plio-Pleistocene hominids in South and East Africa — Australopithecines.
• Homo erectus:
  • Africa (Paranthropus)
  • Europe (Homo erectus heidelbergensis)
  • Asia (Homo erectus javanicus, Homo erectus pekinensis)
• Neanderthal Man — La-Chapelle-aux-Saints (classical type), Mt. Carmel (progressive type).
• Rhodesian Man.
• Homo sapiens — Cromagnon, Grimaldi and Chancelade.

1.7. Biological Basis of Life

The cell, DNA structure and replication, protein synthesis, gene, mutation, chromosomes and cell division.

1.8. Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology and Cultural Evolution

• (a) Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology: Chronology, relative and absolute dating methods.
• (b) Cultural Evolution — broad outlines of prehistoric cultures:
  • Palaeolithic
  • Mesolithic
  • Neolithic
  • Chalcolithic
  • Copper-Bronze Age
  • Iron Age

2.1. Nature of Culture

The concept and characteristics of culture and civilization; ethnocentrism vis-a-vis cultural relativism.

2.2. Nature of Society

Concept of society; society and culture; social institution; social groups; social stratification.

2.3. Marriage

• Definition and universality; laws of marriage (endogamy, exogamy, hypergamy, hypogamy, incest taboo).
• Types of marriage: monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, group marriage.
• Functions of marriage; marriage regulations (preferential, prescriptive and proscriptive).
• Marriage payments: bridewealth and dowry.

2.4. Family

• Definition and universality.
• Family, household and domestic groups; functions of family.
• Types of family (structure, blood relation, marriage, residence and succession).
• Impact of urbanisation, industrialisation and feminist movements on family.

2.5. Kinship

• Consanguinity and affinity.
• Principles and types of descent: unilineal, double, bilateral, ambilineal.
• Forms of descent groups: lineage, clan, phratry, moiety and kindred.
• Kinship terminology: descriptive and classificatory.
• Descent, filiation and complementary filiation; descent and alliance.

3. Economic Organisation

• Meaning, scope and relevance of economic anthropology; formalist and substantivist debate.
• Principles governing production, distribution and exchange (reciprocity, redistribution and market) in communities subsisting on: hunting and gathering, fishing, swiddening, pastoralism, horticulture, agriculture.
• Globalization and indigenous economic systems.

4. Political Organisation and Social Control

• Band, tribe, chiefdom, kingdom and state; concept of power, authority and legitimacy.
• Social control, law and justice in simple societies.

5. Religion

• Anthropological approaches to the study of religion (evolutionary, psychological and functional).
• Monotheism and polytheism; sacred and profane; myths and rituals.
• Forms of religion in tribal and peasant societies: animism, animatism, fetishism, naturism, totemism.
• Religion, magic and science distinguished; magico-religious functionaries — priest, shaman, medicine man.

6. Anthropological Theories

• (a) Classical evolutionism (Tylor, Morgan, Frazer)
• (b) Historical particularism (Boas); diffusionism (British, German, American)
• (c) Functionalism (Malinowski); structural-functionalism (Radcliffe-Brown)
• (d) Structuralism (Lévi-Strauss, E. Leach)
• (e) Culture and personality (Benedict, Mead, Linton, Kardiner, Cora du Bois)
• (f) Neo-evolutionism (Childe, White, Steward, Sahlins, Service)
• (g) Cultural materialism (Harris)
• (h) Symbolic and interpretive theories (Turner, Schneider, Geertz)
• (i) Cognitive theories (Tyler, Conklin)
• (j) Postmodernism in anthropology.

7. Culture, Language and Communication

Nature, origin and characteristics of language; verbal and non-verbal communication; social context of language use.

8. Research Methods in Anthropology

• Fieldwork tradition in anthropology.
• Distinction between technique, method and methodology.
• Tools of data collection: observation, interview, schedules, questionnaire, case study, genealogy, life-history, oral history, secondary sources of information, participatory methods.
• Analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.

9.1. Human Genetics: Methods and Applications

• Methods for study of genetic principles in man: family study (pedigree analysis, twin study, foster child, co-twin method), cytogenetic method, chromosomal and karyotype analysis, biochemical methods, immunological methods, DNA technology and recombinant technologies.
• Mendelian genetics in man — family study, single factor, multifactor, lethal, sub-lethal and polygenic inheritance.

9.3. Population Genetics and Mating Patterns

• Concept of genetic polymorphism and selection, Mendelian population, Hardy-Weinberg law.
• Causes and changes which bring down gene frequency: mutation, isolation, migration, selection, inbreeding, genetic drift.
• Consanguineous and non-consanguineous mating, genetic load, genetic effect of consanguineous and cousin marriages.

9.4. Chromosomes and Chromosomal Aberrations in Man

• (a) Numerical and structural aberrations (disorders).
• (b) Sex chromosomal aberrations — Klinefelter (XXY), Turner (XO), Super female (XXX), intersex and other syndromic disorders.
• (c) Autosomal aberrations — Down syndrome, Patau, Edward and Cri-du-chat syndromes.
• Genetic imprints in human disease, genetic screening, genetic counselling, human DNA profiling, gene mapping and genome study.

9.5. Race and Racism

• Race and racism; biological basis of morphological variation of non-metric traits and characters.
• Racial criteria, racial traits in relation to heredity and environment; biological basis of racial classification, racial differentiation and race crossing in man.

9.6. Genetic Markers and Population Variation

• Age, sex and population variation as genetic markers: ABO, Rh blood groups, HLA, Hp, transferrin, Gm, blood enzymes.
• Physiological characteristics — Hb level, body fat, pulse rate, respiratory functions, sensory perceptions in different cultural and socio-economic groups.

9.7. Concepts and Methods of Ecological Anthropology

• Bio-cultural adaptations — genetic and non-genetic factors.
• Man’s physiological responses to environmental stresses: hot desert, cold, high-altitude climate.

9.8. Epidemiological Anthropology

• Health and disease.
• Infectious and non-infectious diseases.
• Nutritional deficiency related diseases.

10. Concept of Human Growth and Development

• Stages of growth — pre-natal, natal, infant, childhood, adolescence, maturity, senescence.
• Factors affecting growth and development — genetic, environmental, biochemical, nutritional, cultural and socio-economic.
• Ageing and senescence — theories and observations, biological and chronological longevity.
• Human physique and somatotypes; methodologies for growth studies.

11.1. Menarche, Menopause and Fertility

Relevance of menarche, menopause and other biological events to fertility; fertility patterns and differentials.

11.2. Demographic Theories

Demographic theories — biological, social and cultural.

11.3. Factors Influencing Reproductive Parameters

Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility, natality and mortality.

12. Applications of Anthropology

• Anthropology of sports.
• Nutritional anthropology.
• Anthropology in designing of defence and other equipment.
• Forensic anthropology.
• Methods and principles of personal identification and reconstruction.
• Applied human genetics — paternity diagnosis, genetic counselling and eugenics.
• DNA technology in diseases and medicine; serogenetics and cytogenetics in reproductive biology.

1.1. Evolution of Indian Culture and Civilization

• Prehistoric: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Neolithic- Chalcolithic.
• Protohistoric: Indus Civilization — pre-Harappan, Harappan and post-Harappan cultures.
• Contributions of tribal cultures to Indian civilization.

1.2. Palaeo-Anthropological Evidence from India

Palaeo-anthropological evidence from India with special reference to Siwaliks and Narmada Basin (Ramapithecus, Sivapithecus and Narmada Man).

1.3. Ethno-Archaeology in India

• The concept of ethno-archaeology.
• Survivals and parallels among the hunting, foraging, fishing, pastoral and peasant communities, including arts and crafts producing communities.

2. Demographic Profile of India

• Ethnic and linguistic elements in the Indian population and their distribution.
• Indian population — factors influencing its structure and growth.

3.1. Traditional Indian Social System

Structure and nature of the traditional Indian social system: Varnashrama, Purushartha, Karma, Rina and Rebirth.

3.2. Caste System in India

• Structure and characteristics of the caste system.
• Varna and caste; theories of origin of caste system.
• Dominant caste; caste mobility; future of caste system.
• Jajmani system; tribe-caste continuum.

3.3. Sacred Complex and Nature-Man-Spirit Complex

Sacred complex and nature-man-spirit complex in Indian contexts.

3.4. Impact of Religions on Indian Society

Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity on Indian society.

4. Emergence, Growth and Development of Anthropology in India

• Contributions of 18th, 19th and early 20th century scholar- administrators.
• Contributions of Indian anthropologists to tribal and caste studies.

5.1. Indian Village

• Significance of village studies in India.
• Indian village as a social system; traditional and changing patterns of settlement and inter-caste relations.
• Agrarian relations in Indian villages; impact of globalisation on Indian villages.

5.2. Linguistic and Religious Minorities

Linguistic and religious minorities and their social, political and economic status.

5.3. Processes of Socio-Cultural Change in Indian Society

• Indigenous and exogenous processes: Sanskritization, Westernization, Modernization.
• Interplay of little and great traditions; Panchayati Raj and social change; media and social change.

6.1. Tribal Situation in India

Bio-genetic variability, linguistic and socio-economic characteristics of tribal populations and their distribution.

6.2. Problems of Tribal Communities

• Land alienation, poverty, indebtedness, low literacy, poor educational facilities.
• Unemployment, under-employment, health and nutrition issues.

6.3. Developmental Projects and Tribals

• Developmental projects and their impact on tribal displacement and problems of rehabilitation.
• Development of forest policy and tribals; impact of urbanisation and industrialisation on tribal populations.

7.1. Exploitation and Deprivation of SCs, STs and OBCs

• Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
• Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.

7.2. Social Change and Contemporary Tribal Societies

Impact of modern democratic institutions, development programmes and welfare measures on tribals and weaker sections.

7.3. Ethnicity, Conflict and Political Developments

• The concept of ethnicity; ethnic conflicts and political developments.
• Unrest among tribal communities; regionalism and demands for autonomy; pseudo-tribalism.
• Social change among tribes during colonial and post-Independent India.

8.1. Impact of Major Religions on Tribal Societies

Impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other religions on tribal societies.

8.2. Tribe and Nation State

Tribe and nation state — a comparative study of tribal communities in India and other countries.

9.1. History of Administration and Tribal Policies

• History of administration of tribal areas; tribal policies, plans and programmes of tribal development and their implementation.
• Concept of PTGs (Primitive Tribal Groups), their distribution and special programmes for their development.
• Role of NGOs in tribal development.

9.2. Role of Anthropology in Development

Role of anthropology in tribal and rural development.

9.3. Anthropology and Contemporary Movements

Contributions of anthropology to the understanding of regionalism, communalism and ethnic and political movements.