Anthropology Syllabus UPSC

UPSC Mains Anthropology Paper 1 Syllabus

• Meaning, scope and development of Anthropology

  • Relationships with other disciplines:

    Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, Earth Sciences and Humanities.

  • Main branches of Anthropology, their scope and relevance:

    • Social- cultural Anthropology
    • Biological Anthropology.
    • Archaeological Anthropology.
    • Linguistic Anthropology.

  • Human Evolution and emergence of Man:

    • Biological and Cultural factors in human evolution.
    • Theories of Organic Evolution (Pre- Darwinian, Darwinian and Post-Darwinian).
    • ü Synthetic theory of evolution; Brief outline of terms and concepts of evolutionary biology (Doll’s rule, Cope’s rule, Gause’s rule, parallelism, convergence, adaptive radiation, and mosaic evolution).
  • Characteristics of Primates; Evolutionary Trend and Primate Taxonomy; Primate Adaptations; (Arboreal and Terrestrial) Primate Taxonomy; Primate Behaviour; Tertiary and Quaternary fossil primates; Living Major Primates; Comparative Anatomy of Man and Apes; Skeletal changes due to erect posture and its implications.
  • Phylogenetic status, characteristics and geographical distribution of the following:
    • Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, Earth Sciences and Humanities.
    • Homo erectus: Africa (Paranthropus), Europe (Homo erectus heidelbergensis), Asia (Homo erectus javanicus, Homo erectus pekinensis).
    • Neanderthal Man- La-Chapelle-aux-saints (Classical type), Mt. Carmel (Progressive type).
    • Rhodesian man.
    • Homo sapiens — Cromagnon, Grimaldi and Chancelede.
  • The biological basis of life: The Cell, DNA structure and replication, Protein Synthesis, Gene, Mutation, Chromosomes, and Cell Division.

  • Chronology

    • Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology. Chronology: Relative and Absolute Dating methods.
    • Cultural Evolution- Broad Outlines of Prehistoric cultures:
    • Paleolithic
    • Mesolithic
    • Neolithic
    • Chalcolithic
    • Copper-Bronze Age
    • Iron Age

• The Nature of Culture:

  • The concept and characteristics of culture and civilization; Ethnocentrism vis-à-vis cultural Relativism.

  • The Nature of Society:

    Concept of Society; Society and Culture; Social Institutions; Social groups; and Social stratification.

  • Marriage:

    Definition and universality; Laws of marriage (endogamy, exogamy, hypergamy, hypogamy, incest taboo); Types of marriage (monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, group marriage). Functions of marriage; Marriage regulations (preferential, prescriptive and proscriptive); Marriage payments (bride wealth and dowry).

  • Family:

    Definition and universality; Family, household and domestic groups; functions of family; Types of family (from the perspectives of structure, blood relation, marriage, residence and succession); Impact of urbanization, industrialization and feminist movements on family.

  • Kinship:

    Consanguinity and Affinity; Principles and types of descent (Unilineal, Double, Bilateral, Ambilineal); Forms of descent groups (lineage, clan, phratry, moiety and kindred); Kinship terminology (descriptive and classificatory); Descent, Filiation and Complimentary Filiation; Descent and Alliance.



• Economic organization:

  Meaning, scope and relevance of economic anthropology; Formalist and Substantivist debate; Principles governing production, distribution and exchange (reciprocity, redistribution and market), in communities, subsisting on hunting and gathering, fishing, swiddening, pastoralism, horticulture, and agriculture; globalization and indigenous economic systems.



• Political organization and Social Control:

  Band, tribe, chiefdom, kingdom and state; concepts of power, authority and legitimacy; social control, law and justice in simple societies.



• Religion:

  Anthropological approaches to the study of religion (evolutionary, psychological and functional); monotheism and polytheism; sacred and profane; myths and rituals; forms of religion in tribal and peasant societies (animism, animatism, fetishism, naturism and totemism); religion, magic and science distinguished; magico- religious functionaries (priest, shaman, medicine man, sorcerer and witch).



• Anthropological theories:

  • Classical evolutionism (Tylor, Morgan and Frazer)
  • Historical particularism (Boas); Diffusionism (British, German and American)
  • Functionalism (Malinowski); Structural- functionlism (Radcliffe-Brown)
  • Structuralism (L’evi – Strauss and E. Leach)
  • Culture and personality (Benedict, Mead, Linton, Kardiner and Cora – du Bois).
  • Neo – evolutionism (Childe, White, Steward, Sahlins and Service)
  • Cultural materialism (Harris)
  • Symbolic and interpretive theories (Turner, Schneider and Geertz)
  • Cognitive theories (Tyler, Conklin)
  • Post- modernism in anthropology



• Culture, language and communication:

  Nature, origin and characteristics of language; verbal and non-verbal communication; social context of language use.



• Research methods in anthropology:

  • Fieldwork tradition in anthropology
  • Distinction between technique, method and methodology

  • Tools of data collection:

    Observation, interview, schedules, questionnaire, Case study, genealogy, life-history, oral history, secondary sources of information, participatory methods.
  • Analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.

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• Human Genetics

  • Methods and Application:

    Methods for study of genetic principles in man-family study (pedigree analysis, twin study, foster child, co-twin method, cytogenetic method, chromosomal and karyo-type analysis), biochemical methods, immunological methods, D.N.A. technology and recombinant technologies.
  • Mendelian genetics in man-family study, single factor, multifactor, lethal, sub-lethal and polygenic inheritance in man.
  • Concept of genetic polymorphism and selection, Mendelian population, Hardy-Weinberg law; causes and changes which bring down frequency – mutation, isolation, migration, selection, inbreeding and genetic drift. Consanguineous and non-consanguineous mating, genetic load, genetic effect of consanguineous and cousin marriages.

  • Chromosomes and chromosomal aberrations in man, methodology.

    • Numerical and structural aberrations (disorders).

    • Sex chromosomal aberrations

      Klinefelter (XXY), Turner (XO), Super female (XXX), intersex and other syndromic disorders.

    • Autosomal aberrations

      Down syndrome, Patau, Edward and Cri-du-chat syndromes.
    • Genetic imprints in human disease, genetic screening, genetic counseling, human DNA profiling, gene mapping and genome study.
  • Race and racism, biological basis of morphological variation of non-metric and metric characters. Racial criteria, racial traits in relation to heredity and environment; biological basis of racial classification, racial differentiation and race crossing in man.

  • Age, sex and population variation as genetic marker

    ABO, Rh blood groups, HLA Hp, transferring, Gm, blood enzymes. Physiological characteristics-Hb level, body fat, pulse rate, respiratory functions and sensory perceptions in different cultural and socio-economic groups.
  • Concepts and methods of Ecological Anthropology. Bio-cultural Adaptations – Genetic and Non- genetic factors. Man’s physiological responses to environmental stresses: hot desert, cold, high altitude climate.

  • Epidemiological Anthropology:

    Health and disease. Infectious and non-infectious diseases. Nutritional deficiency related diseases.



• Concept of human growth and development:

  stages of growth pre-natal, natal, infant, childhood, adolescence, maturity, senescence. Factors affecting growth and development genetic, environmental, biochemical, nutritional, cultural and socio-economic. Ageing and senescence. Theories and observations – biological and chronological longevity. Human physique and somatotypes. Methodologies for growth studies.



• Relevance of menarche, menopause and other bioevents to fertility. Fertility patterns and differentials.

  • Demographic theories- biological, social and cultural.
  • Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility, natality and mortality.



• Applications of Anthropology:

  Anthropology of sports, Nutritional anthropology, Anthropology in designing of defence and other equipments, Forensic Anthropology, Methods and principles of personal identification and reconstruction, Applied human genetics – Paternity diagnosis, genetic counseling and eugenics, DNA technology in diseases and medicine, serogenetics and cytogenetics in reproductive biology.

UPSC Mains Anthropology Paper 2 Syllabus

• Evolution of the Indian Culture and Civilization

  • Prehistoric (Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Neolithic – Chalcolithic).

  • Protohistoric (Indus Civilization):

    Pre- Harappan, Harappan and post- Harappan cultures.Contributions of tribal cultures to Indian civilization.
  • Palaeo – anthropological evidences from India with special reference to Siwaliks and Narmada basin (Ramapithecus, Sivapithecus and Narmada Man).

  • Ethno-archaeology in India:

    The concept of ethno-archaeology; Survivals and Parallels among the hunting, foraging, fishing, pastoral and peasant communities including arts and crafts producing communities.



• Demographic profile of India

  Ethnic and linguistic elements in the Indian population and their distribution. Indian population – factors influencing its structure and growth.



• The structure and nature of traditional Indian social system

  • Varnashram, Purushartha, Karma, Rina and Rebirth

  • Caste system in India

    structure and characteristics, Varna and caste, Theories of origin of caste system, Dominant caste, Caste mobility, Future of caste system, Jajmani system, Tribe- caste continuum.
  • Sacred Complex and Nature- Man- Spirit Complex.
  • Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity on Indian society.



• Emergence and growth of anthropology in India

  Contributions of the 18th, 19th and early 20th Century scholar-administrators. Contributions of Indian anthropologists to tribal and caste studies.



• Indian Village:

  • Significance of village study in India; Indian village as a social system; Traditional and changing patterns of settlement and inter-caste relations; Agrarian relations in Indian villages; Impact of globalization on Indian villages.
  • Linguistic and religious minorities and their social, political and economic status.
  • Indigenous and exogenous processes of socio-cultural change in Indian society: Sanskritization, Westernization, Modernization; Inter-play of little and great traditions; Panchayati raj and social change; Media and social change.



• Tribal situation in India

  • Bio-genetic variability, linguistic and socio-economic characteristics of tribal populations and their distribution.

  • Problems of the tribal Communities

    land alienation, poverty, indebtedness, low literacy, poor educational facilities, unemployment, underemployment, health and nutrition.
  • Developmental projects and their impact on tribal displacement and problems of rehabilitation. Development of forest policy and tribals. Impact of urbanization and industrialization on tribal populations.



• Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.

  • Social change and contemporary tribal societies:

    Impact of modern democratic institutions, development programmes and welfare measures on tribals and weaker sections.
  • The concept of ethnicity; Ethnic conflicts and political developments; Unrest among tribal communities; Regionalism and demand for autonomy; Pseudo-tribalism; Social change among the tribes during colonial and post-Independent India.



• Impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other religions on tribal societies.

  Tribe and nation state - a comparative study of tribal communities in India and other countries.



• History of administration of tribal areas, tribal policies, plans, programmes of tribal development and their implementation.

  • The concept of PTGs (Primitive Tribal Groups), their distribution, special programmes for their development. Role of N.G.O.s in tribal development.
  • Role of anthropology in tribal and rural development.
  • Contributions of anthropology to the understanding of regionalism, communalism, and ethnic and political movements.