JyotikaSBaliarsingh at 14:17, 19 March 2026

2026-03-19T14:17:35Z

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{{Short description|Indian sociologist and anthropologist (1934–2024)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| image = jpsu.jpg
| caption = Uberoi in 2012
| name = J. P. S. Uberoi
| birth_name = Jitendra Pal Singh Uberoi
| birth_date = September 1934
| birth_place = [[Lahore]], Punjab Province, British India
| death_date = January 3, 2024 (aged 89)
| death_place = [[Delhi]], India
| alma_mater = [[University College London]]<br>[[University of Manchester]]<br>[[Australian National University]]
| occupation = Professor of Sociology at the [[Delhi School of Economics]]
| known_for = {{flatlist|
* sociology of religion
* sociology of modernity
* sociology of Afghanistan and West Asia
* Sikh studies
* philosophical anthropology
* Goethe studies
* structuralism
}}
| awards = Lifetime Achievement Award of the Indian Sociological Society (2011)
}}

'''Jitendra Pal Singh Uberoi''' (September 1934 – 3 January 2024)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mehta |first=Deepak |date=2024 |title=JPS Uberoi (1934-2024): In Commemoration |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/8/commentary/j-p-s-uberoi-1934%E2%80%932024.html |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=LIX |issue=8}}</ref> was an Indian sociologist and [[Philosophical anthropology|philosophical anthropologist]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Prasad |first=Amit |date=2025 |title=Eloge: Jitendra Pal Singh (J. P. S.) Uberoi (1934–2024) |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/733994 |journal=Isis |volume=116 |issue=1 |pages=168–171 |doi=10.1086/733994 |issn=0021-1753|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He was a Professor of [[Sociology]] from the [[Delhi School of Economics]]. Uberoi is credited with contributions toward establishing sociology as a discipline of study in post-colonial India and also non-western reading of the west, including the study of the history and anthropology of science and European modernity.<ref name=":2">[http://www.epw.in/book-reviews/quest-lost-plural-unity.html 'Quest for a Lost Plural Unity', Philippe Tulkens, Economic and Political Weekly]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Prasad |first=Amit |date=2016 |title=Discursive Contextures of Science:Euro/West-Centrism and Science and Technology Studies |url=https://estsjournal.org/index.php/ests/article/view/71/47 |journal=Engaging Science, Technology, and Society |volume=2 |pages=193–207|doi=10.17351/ests2016.71 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Life and career==
Uberoi was born in [[Lahore]] in 1934.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=4 January 2024 |title=Prof JPS Uberoi, instrumental in establishing the Sociology discipline in India, dies at 90 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/prof-jps-uberoi-instrumental-in-establishing-the-sociology-discipline-in-india-dies-at-90-9094351/ |access-date=4 January 2024 |publisher=The Indian Express}}</ref> His father was [[Mohan Singh Diwana]], a noted scholar of [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] literature and culture.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Jaspal |date=31 July 2016 |title=Chronicler of the Language |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/book-reviews/chronicler-of-the-language-273515 |work=The Tribune}}</ref> In 1966, Uberoi married the sociologist Patricia Uberoi (''née'' Robyn Hughes).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Deshpande |first1=Satish |last2=Sundar |first2=Nandini |last3=Baviskar |first3=Amita |title=Introduction |journal=Contributions to Indian Sociology |date=June 2010 |volume=44 |issue=1–2 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1177/006996671004400201 |s2cid=220052015 }}</ref> They had three children, Safina, Prem, and Zoe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Asiya |date=2003 |title=Who is Indian? A Review of My Mother India |url=https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/who-is-indian-a-review-of-my-mother-india/ |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=Association for Asian Studies |language=en-US}}</ref> In the wake of the [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]] in [[Delhi]], Uberoi transformed from being an atheist to a turban-wearing, practicing Sikh.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Soumitree |date=30 May 2022 |title=Reclaiming Mother India: Mother, Nation, and the Other in Safina Uberoi's 'My Mother India' |url=https://cafedissensus.com/2022/05/30/reclaiming-mother-india-mother-nation-and-the-other-in-safina-uberois-my-mother-india/ |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=Café Dissensus |language=en}}</ref> He and Patricia remained married until his death on 3 January 2024.<ref name=":0" />

=== Education ===
Uberoi graduated from [[University College London]] with a degree in electrical engineering and telecommunications in 1955. A chance meeting with the sociologist [[Basil Bernstein]] changed the course of his career from engineering to anthropology.<ref name=":3" />

Uberoi studied anthropology for his masters (1955–1958) at the [[University of Manchester]] under the anthropologists [[Max Gluckman]], [[Victor Turner]], and Pamela Watson.<ref name=":3" /> His graduate work at Manchester culminated in the publication of his first book, ''Politics of the [[Kula Ring]]: An Analysis of the Findings of [[Bronislaw Malinowski]]'' (Manchester University Press), in 1962.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Politics of the Kula Ring an Analysis of the Findings of Bronislaw Malinowski by Jp Singh Uberoi - AbeBooks |url=https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/politics-of-the-kula-ring-an-analysis-of-the-findings-of-bronislaw-malinowski/author/jp-singh-uberoi/ |access-date=7 January 2024 |website=www.abebooks.com |language=en}}</ref>

He completed his Ph.D. in 1964 in the Department of Anthropology at the [[Australian National University]]. For his doctoral research, he conducted ethnographic research among the [[Tajiks]] of [[Afghanistan]], and subsequently wrote and defended a Ph.D. thesis entitled ''Social Organisation of the Tajiks of Andarab Valley, Afghanistan''.<ref name=":0" />
=== Teaching career ===
Uberoi began his teaching career at Australia's [[Monash University]], where he taught social anthropology and sociology from 1963 to 1966.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Uberoi |first=JPS |title=Mind and society: From Indian studies to general sociology |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019}}</ref>

In 1968, Uberoi returned to India on the invitation of [[M. N. Srinivas|M.N. Srinivas]] and joined the department of sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, [[Delhi University]].<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Padel |first1=Felix |title=Articulating the Other Mind of Europe: J.P.S. Uberoi and the Indian Sociology of Modernity |journal=Indian Anthropologist |date=2020 |volume=50 |issue=1/2 |pages=27–39 |jstor=27027835 }}</ref> After serving a few months as Reader, he was appointed as Professor of Sociology at this department in 1969. He was 34 years old at the time. He went on to teach and research in this capacity till his retirement in 1999.<ref name=":3" /> Some of his colleagues there were [[André Beteille]], [[Veena Das]], [[Amitav Ghosh]], and [[A. M. (Arvind Manilal) Shah|A.M. Shah]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Amitav |date=7 January 2024 |title=Twitter feed of Amitav Ghosh |url=https://x.com/ghoshamitav/status/1743703754925338991?s=46&t=at0_ZR9VXMlYi_EyOVjt_A }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Banerjee |first=Mukulika |date=7 January 2023 |title=An Antim Ardas for Professor Jit Pal Singh Uberoi (1934-2024) |url=https://thewire.in/society/an-antim-ardas-for-professor-jit-pal-singh-uberoi-1934-2024 |access-date=7 January 2024 |website=The Wire}}</ref> Uberoi headed the department of sociology at the Delhi School of Economics from 1977 to 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HOD Soc |url=https://dse.du.ac.in/HOD-Soc |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=dse.du.ac.in}}</ref> He was also the proctor of Delhi University from 1971 to 1973.<ref name=":3" />

=== Research ===
Uberoi was instrumental in establishing sociology as a discipline of study in post-colonial India. At a time when the prevalent thinking focused on understanding India as a society, he focused his studies outside of India, primarily focusing on studying European modernity, until the 1980s. As a social anthropologist, he did much of his fieldwork in Afghanistan, studying the [[Tajiks]] of the region. As a head of the department of sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, he is credited for distinguishing the department by its research rigor and quality of teaching.<ref name=":0" /> He established a European Studies Program at the Delhi School of Economics' Department of Sociology, aiming to study western theories and practices from an Indian perspective.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyabji |first=Khalid |date=7 January 2023 |title=Remembering Prof. JPS Uberoi as a Scholar, Mentor, and Teacher |url=https://thewire.in/the-arts/remembering-prof-jps-uberoi-as-a-scholar-mentor-and-teacher |access-date=7 January 2024 |website=The Wire}}</ref>

=== Awards and recognition ===
* In 1958, Uberoi was awarded the Hocart Prize by the [[Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland|Royal Anthropological Institute]] for an essay which was published as Chapter 2 in his book ''Politics of the Kula Ring''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Uberoi |first=J.P.S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdJRAQAAIAAJ&q=hocart+prize&pg=PR13 |title=Politics of the Kula Ring: An Analysis of the Findings of Bronislaw Malinowski |date=1962 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-0259-5 |pages=xv |language=en}}</ref>
* In 2011, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the [[Indian Sociological Society]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life Time Achievement Awards {{!}} Indian Sociological Society |url=https://insoso.org/life-time-achievement-awards |access-date=7 January 2024 |website=insoso.org}}</ref>
* In July 2019, the [[India International Centre]] in Delhi held an evening event in his honour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TALK "Mind and Society: From Indian Studies to General Sociology" > 6:30pm on 20th July 2019 |url=https://www.delhievents.com/2019/07/talk-mind-society-indian-studies-general-sociology-uberoi-india-international-centre.html |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=Delhi Events|date=20 July 2019 }}</ref>

==Books==
* ''Politics of the Kula Ring: An Analysis of the Findings of Bronislaw Malinowski'' (1962, Manchester University Press)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reay |first1=Marie |title=Review of Politics of the Kula Ring: An Analysis of the Findings of Bronislaw Malinowski |journal=Oceania |date=1963 |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=296–298 |doi=10.1002/j.1834-4461.1963.tb00814.x |jstor=40329407 }}</ref>
* ''Science and Culture'' (1978, Oxford University Press)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Uberoi |first=J. P. Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJ01AAAAIAAJ |title=Science and Culture |date=1978 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-561116-8 |language=en}}</ref>
* ''The other mind of Europe: Goethe as a Scientist'' (1984, Oxford University Press)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Uberoi |first=J. P. Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VrfaAAAAMAAJ |title=The Other Mind of Europe: Goethe as a Scientist |date=1984 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-561677-4 |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Religion, civil society, and the state: a study of Sikhism'' (1996, Oxford University Press)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Uberoi |first=J. P. Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tn7XAAAAMAAJ |title=Religion, Civil Society and the State: A Study of Sikhism |date=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-563691-8 |language=en}}</ref>
* ''The European Modernity: Science, Truth, and Method'' (2002, Oxford University Press)<ref name=":2" />
* ''Mind and Society: From Indian Studies to General Sociology'' (2019, Oxford University Press)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Padel |first=Felix |date=2019 |title=Review of J.P.S. Uberoi: Mind and Society: From Indian Studies to General Sociology |url=https://anthro.web.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/anthro/documents/media/jaso11_1_2019.pdf#page=78 |journal=Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford |volume=XI |issue=1 |pages=75–82}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Science and technology studies in India]]

==References==
<references />

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uberoi, J. P. S.}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Social anthropologists]]
[[Category:Indian sociologists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian anthropologists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian anthropologists]]
[[Category:People from Lahore]]
[[Category:Academics from New Delhi]]
[[Category:Australian National University alumni]]
[[Category:Philosophical anthropologists]]
[[Category:Scholars of Sikhism]]
[[Category:Goethe scholars]]
[[Category:Theorists on Western civilization]]
[[Category:Structuralists]]
[[Category:Modernity]]
[[Category:Punjabi Sikhs]]
[[Category:Asian studies]]
[[Category:Central Asian studies scholars]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Manchester]]
[[Category:Anthropologists of religion]]
[[Category:People associated with University College London]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Delhi University]]
[[Category:Sikh writers]]

J. P. S. Uberoi - Revision history

JyotikaSBaliarsingh at 14:17, 19 March 2026