-Anushree Ojha, Subject Matter Expert at Edmarz
Solution: (i) Karl Marx referred to India’s villages as “small communities.” He believed that India was a self-sufficient nation with no touch with the rest of the world. India had its own set of ideas and institutions that governed human behavior. Marx was also an outspoken opponent of British domination in Indian society. He produced a number of articles about India during the British Raj to elucidate his viewpoints.
(ii) Max Weber – Through his ‘Sociology of Religion’ works, he studied India. Weber saw Indian society as orthodox and oppressed, owing to the caste system’s limitations. Throughout his studies, he emphasized the importance of rational thinking, which was opposed by India’s caste system. He also argued that the caste structure and religion conspired to stifle economic development.