André Béteille was the Virat Kohli of Indian sociology i.e. a legend who transformed the way we understand social relationships, inequality and conflict in Indian society. He “passed away on February 3, 2026, after five decades of teaching and research at the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. His contributions to sociology include several books on theories and methods, caste, class and power, affirmative action, social inequality, ideologies, and intellectuals. He held administrative positions, including Chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, Chancellor of North Eastern Hill University, and Chairman of the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata.”
Whilst his first book – Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in a Tanjore Village (1965) – was a seminal piece of work which received many accolades what this legendary sociologist relevant for stockmarket folks like us was his understanding and explanation of how conflict arises in India.
As Abhijit Dasgupta explains in this obituary: “One of Béteille’s main research concerns was rural inequality and agrarian conflict. He was of the view that the relation between inequality and social conflict is both complex and ambiguous. One expects that conflict would be common where inequalities are sharp and visible, but conflict appears in its acute form where inequalities are actually declining, as in the case of West Bengal. Under conditions of social and political change, inequality may be less important than heightened perception of the differences which persist.
What matters most in an agrarian conflict is consciousness of one’s position in agricultural production and mobilisation of those deprived and exploited. After the Green Revolution in the late 1960s, the epicentre of agrarian conflict was West Bengal and not Punjab, where inequality was sharper. Political mobilisation of agricultural workers by the peasant associations in West Bengal prepared an ideal condition for conflict to take place.
In the context of agrarian unrest in Tanjore, he points out the region had an economically homogenous class of people whose common material interests were not difficult to identify. Along with this, they shared common cultural unity as they were all untouchables or adivasis. They lived in separate hamlets known as cheris, their natural habitat, shared multiple kinship and other ties….
While commenting on castes and political power, Béteille noted the rise of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Indian political arena, which scholars had hardly taken note of. In his view, the polarisation of Dalits and OBCs for political power would change the nature of Indian politics. This was indeed the case in places like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and in some other parts of the country. On the question of reservation, he was critical of the way it was used, as he always feared that those who deserved reservation benefits most would be left out….
Béteille will always be remembered by his students as an outstanding teacher and by his friends and colleagues as a scholar who gave new directions to sociological studies in India.”
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