Louis Dumont (anthropologist)
Encyclopedia
Louis Dumont was a French anthropologist. He was an associate professor at Oxford University during the 1950s, and director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
(EHESS) in Paris. A specialist on the cultures and societies of India
, Dumont also studied western
social philosophy and ideologies.
(1966), From Mandeville to Marx: The Genesis and Triumph of Economic Ideology (1977) and Essais sur l'individualisme: Une perspective anthropologique sur l'idéologie moderne (1983), in which he contrasts holism
with individualism
. His studies on Indian society paved the way for the development of culturological approach to the study of Indian society. The culturological approach identifies itself close to the indological approach.
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
(EHESS) in Paris. A specialist on the cultures and societies of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Dumont also studied western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
social philosophy and ideologies.
Works
His works include Homo Hierarchicus: Essai sur le système des castesHomo Hierarchicus
Homo Hierarchicus: Essai sur le système des castes is Louis Dumont's treatise on the Indian caste system.http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo3618813.html This book analyses the caste hierarchy and the ascendancy tendency of the lower castes to follow the habits of the higher...
(1966), From Mandeville to Marx: The Genesis and Triumph of Economic Ideology (1977) and Essais sur l'individualisme: Une perspective anthropologique sur l'idéologie moderne (1983), in which he contrasts holism
Holism
Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...
with individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
. His studies on Indian society paved the way for the development of culturological approach to the study of Indian society. The culturological approach identifies itself close to the indological approach.