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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2017/Paper II/Indian Society, Caste & Civilization
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2017 20 Marks Model Answer Available

Imbalance in the Sex-Ratio in India — 2017 Paper II

Question · 2017 · Paper II · 20 Marks

Give your assessment of the reasons for the imbalance in the sex-ratio in India.

Model Answer

VAID ICS

Approach

  • Demand of Question:Show how living craft traditions generate middle-range links between production behaviour and archaeological residues, while guarding against direct historical continuity assumptions.
  • Structuring the Response:Explain what craft studies reveal - technology, organisation, style, exchange, discard - give Indian examples, then evaluate limits of analogy.
  • Key Dimensions to Cover:pottery, metal, stone, bead, basket/textile, architecture; chaîne opératoire; Carol Kramer; ethnoarchaeology; caste-based craft specialisation, kilns/workshops, spatial residues; technological continuity versus market-induced change.

Model Answer

Introduction The study of living art and craft traditions—known as ethnoarchaeology—is highly relevant to Indian archaeology. Because archaeological sites yield static artifacts (like potsherds or slag), observing contemporary craft communities helps archaeologists construct "middle-range theories" to bridge the gap between static material residues and dynamic past human behaviors.

Body (Draw a Flowchart: Living Craft ➔ Raw Material Sourcing ➔ Manufacture (Chaîne Opératoire) ➔ Use/Exchange ➔ Repair/Discard ➔ Archaeological Residue (e.g., Kiln, Slag, Debitage, Midden).)

  1. Reconstructing Technology (Chaîne Opératoire)By observing modern Indian traditional potters or metalworkers, archaeologists can reconstruct the entire operational sequence (chaîne opératoire). For instance, studying contemporary Agaria iron smelters in central India helps archaeologists interpret the furnaces, tuyeres, and slag found at megalithic iron-age sites, moving beyond merely classifying the final metal tools.
  2. Production and Social OrganizationCraft traditions leave distinct spatial signatures. Observing whether a craft is household-based, seasonally itinerant, or tied to a highly specialized caste workshop helps archaeologists interpret spatial data. For example, specialized bead-making workshops in modern Khambhat (Gujarat) provide direct analogies for understanding the massive scale and spatial organization of Harappan bead-making centers like Lothal.
  3. Style, Identity, and ExchangeArtifact styles do not map mechanically onto specific tribes or cultures. As demonstrated by Carol Kramer'sceramic ethnoarchaeology in Rajasthan, living traditions show that pottery styles encode complex information about market demand, marital networks, and producer identity, cautioning archaeologists against simplistic "pots-equal-people" equations.
  4. Ritual and Use-Life ContextsLiving traditions illuminate how objects transition from utilitarian to sacred contexts. Terracotta horses offered at village shrines in Tamil Nadu (Ayyanar cults) help explain how ritual deposition occurs, aiding the interpretation of terracotta assemblages in ancient contexts.

Conclusion While invaluable, ethnoarchaeological analogy is not direct proof. Contemporary artisans operate within caste structures, modern markets, and tourism dynamics absent in prehistory. Therefore, art and craft traditions are most relevant when combined rigorously with stratigraphy, archaeometry, and experimental archaeology to generate testable hypotheses, rather than assuming unbroken, static historical continuity.

2026 What are the major debates related to the concept of jajmani system? 2026 Does caste as a social category exist among the non-Hindu communities in India? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples. 2025 Trace the history and describe the methods of formulating the lists of OBCs, both at the State and National levels. 2025 Caste domination, factionalism and political power

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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2017 — Paper II

28 questions

5(b) Ethnicity and regionalism.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.3 The concept of ethnicity > Regionalism and demand for autonomy
2017Paper IIEthnicity, Tribal Movements & Social ChangeModel answer available

1(d) Ethno-archaeology.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.3 Ethno-archaeology in India > The concept of ethno-archaeology
2017Paper IIPrehistoric ArchaeologyModel answer available

5(e) Impact of Christianity on Indian tribes.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 8.1 Impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other religions on tribal societies > Christianity
2017Paper IIEthnicity, Tribal Movements & Social ChangeModel answer available

1(e) Nature-man-spirit complex.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.3 Sacred Complex and Nature-Man-Spirit Complex
2017Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

1(a) Neolithic cultures of South India.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.1 Evolution of Indian Culture and Civilization > Neolithic > South India
2017Paper IIPrehistoric ArchaeologyModel answer available

5(c) Other Backward Class.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.1 Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes
2017Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

1(c) Varnashram and the concept of Rina.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.1 Structure and nature of traditional Indian social system > Varnashram, Purushartha, Karma, Rina and Rebirth
2017Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available