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Srinivas’s structural-functionalist approach to the study of Indian society provided a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex interplay of social institutions, cultural practices, and processes of change in India. Instead, he believed that these processes led to the adaptation and transformation of traditional institutions, allowing them to continue functioning in the context of a changing society. Srinivas argued that while these processes led to significant changes in Indian society, they did not necessarily lead to the complete breakdown of traditional structures like the caste system. He examined the impact of modernization, urbanization, and industrialization on traditional social structures and institutions. Srinivas was also interested in understanding the processes of social change in Indian society. Srinivas conducted extensive fieldwork in Indian villages, focusing on the relationships between different castes, the role of kinship and marriage, and the functioning of local institutions like the panchayat (village council). He believed that the village was the basic unit of Indian society, and studying its social structure and organization would provide insights into the larger social system. Srinivas also emphasized the importance of village studies in understanding Indian society. This process, he argued, played a crucial role in maintaining the stability of the caste system, as it allowed for upward mobility and the incorporation of new groups into the social hierarchy. According to him, Sanskritization is a process by which lower castes or tribes adopt the customs, rituals, and beliefs of the higher castes in order to improve their social status. Srinivas developed the concept of “Sanskritization” to explain the process of social mobility and cultural change in Indian society. He also introduced the concept of “dominant caste,” which referred to the caste that held economic, political, and social power in a given region. According to Srinivas, the caste system functioned as a mechanism of social stratification, which ensured the division of labor and distribution of resources among various social groups. He viewed the caste system as a structural aspect of Indian society, which played a crucial role in maintaining social order. Srinivas’s most significant contribution to the study of Indian society is his analysis of the caste system. Srinivas adopted this approach to study Indian society, focusing on the structural aspects of social institutions and their functions in maintaining social order and stability.
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Structural-functionalism is a sociological theory that seeks to understand society as a complex system of interrelated parts, where each part has a specific function that contributes to the overall stability and harmony of the society.
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His major works include “Religion and Society among the Coorgs of South India” (1952), “Caste in Modern India and Other Essays” (1962), and “Social Change in Modern India” (1966). Srinivas’s work focused on the study of social structure, caste system, village studies, and social change in India. He is best known for his structural-functionalist approach, which he employed to understand the complexities of Indian society. Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas was an eminent Indian sociologist who made significant contributions to the study of Indian society. Model Answer: M N Srinivas – Indian Sociologist