Department of Sociology

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The present Department of Sociology was established as a combined Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology by the University of North Bengal in 1976. Professor Niren Ch. Choudhury, eminent anthropologist, was the first Professor and Head of the Department who provided the leadership in the formative years of the Department.Professor R.K.Bhadra and Dr.Namita Choudhury were associated with him since inception of this department and helped in the process of its development. The bifurcation between sociology and anthropology took place in 2001 and thus the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology was renamed Department of Sociology and a separate Department of Anthropology was established under the Science Faculty. From its beginning the Department of Sociology has been training students for three courses: M.A., M. Phil. and Ph.D. The Department has produced more than 30 Ph.Ds and more than one thousand Masters. Besides the two main programmes the Department invites visiting faculty, from the reputed national and international universities and the faculty of this department visit the universities abroad on visiting faculty programme and for attending seminars/conferences. The teachers of the Department encourage students to take part in academic discussions outside the class-room interaction and encourage them to present papers in seminars/conferences. In recognition of the good work done by the Department the University Grants’ Commission (UGC) has granted the Special Assistance Programme (DRS – 1) in 2007 which has facilitated undertaking a good number of research projects on issues relating to gender question and the problem of ethnicity in the North Bengal region. The Department has been organizing a national level seminar every year on the gender and ethnicity related issues, which constitute the focal theme of the SAP. As a part of the programme the Department publishes Occasional Papers and edited volumes based on the research articles that are produced under different SAP related programs.

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Author: search.filters.author.Karmakar, PriyankaHas files: Yes

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    Self-formation and Life of the Daughters in Marwari Community in Siliguri
    (University of North Bengal, 2022-03) Karmakar, Priyanka
    The preference for sons over daughters, which is a part of Pan-Indian culture, is more pronounced in some regions and among some communities; the Marwaris of Siliguri, is one such community. The Marwaris, who have migrated to Siliguri from Rajasthan, over the years, are a burgeoning business community in Siliguri, which is a flourishing business hub. The present paper, which is a part of my research in Siliguri, gives an ethnographic account of the Marwari community’s gender perception, especially son preference which they consider “natural” and acceptable because of the various socio-cultural and economic advantages associated with having a son. Such preferential treatment often results into the practice of daughter aversion and discrimination. The paper further demonstrates how the practice of son preference affects the self-formation of Marwari daughters who are made to grow up in an overpowering patriarchal culture and inculcate the values that help perpetuate gender discrimination.
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    Missing Daughters: Social Perceptions and Treatment of the Girl Child in India
    (University of North Bengal, 31-03-2021) Karmakar, Priyanka
    India has been witnessing a decline in both sex ratio and child sex ratio (0-6 years) over decades. Female mortality at pre-natal stage, at the time of birth, neo-natal and during childhood has contributed to a syndrome called “missing girls” in India and other south Asian countries. Demographic data in India record low child sex ratio than sex ratio. Therefore, the problem basically is of missing girls than missing females. The threat lies more in childhood than adulthood. Girl child has been differentiated/ neglected in terms of health, nourishment, education and other gendered values. The problem also lies in the imbalance of child sex ratio in India which shows that apathy towards girl child is visible in some states of India. The vulnerability of the girls is more prominent in north western India than in southern India, which is the result of certain cultural practices that make discrimination and unequal treatment of daughters a normal phenomenon. The paper aims to discuss the various factors of daughter discrimination that leads to drop in sex ratio, making the missing girl syndrome all the more problematic in Indian context. The paper also discusses the basic factors that are responsible for low child sex ratio with major emphasis on foeticide, infanticide and neglect of girl child in India.