I. P. DESAI: A Pioneering Indian Sociologist

I. P. Desai belonged to the second generation of sociologists in India after G. S. Ghurye, Radhakamal Mukerjee and D. P. Mukerji and played a pioneering role in shaping the teaching and research in the discipline. During his long academic stint, he served as Professor of Sociology and Dean, Faculty of Arts at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and as founder Director of the Centre for Social Studies, Surat. He was also the President of the Indian Sociological Society during 1976-78. He pioneered many areas of sociological research, such as education, family, untouchability, migration, social movements, and social change. He contributed a lot to the growth of Indian Sociological Society and to the profession of sociology.

As a member of the Second Backward Class Commission in Gujarat, popularly known as Rane Commission, Desai sparked off a debate by questioning caste as the basis of reservations.

This book is an intellectual biography of I. P. Desai, narrating his growth from a school student to an eminent scholar and institution builder. It shows how the intellectual and social context in which he studied influenced his research as also development of sociology and its various specializations. This book will be useful to students, teachers and researchers and all others interested in knowing the development of sociology in India.

Ragini P. Shah has been educated in Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, and obtained her Ph.D. from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. She has taught at Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar and is now Reader in Sociology at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.