Irawati Karve
इरावती कर्वे
Irawati Karve (1905-1970 A.D.) was a pioneering Indian sociologist, anthropologist, educationist, and writer from Maharashtra, often hailed as the first Indian female sociologist. A student of G.S. Ghurye, the founder of Indian Sociology, earned her master’s in sociology in 1928 and contributed significantly to the fields of anthropology and sociology throughout her career. She founded the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pune and served as the head of Sociology and Anthropology at Deccan College, Pune.
Karve authored several notable works, including "Kinship Organization in India" (1953), "Hindu Society – An Interpretation"(1961), and the Sahitya Academy Award-winning "Yuganta: The End of an Epoch"(1967). In "Yuganta", she analyzed the Mahabharata's main characters to understand the era's social context. She also wrote "Maharashtra – Land and People" (1968) and many Marathi works like "Paripurti", "Bhovara", "Amachi Samskruti", and "Samskruti".
