University of Calcutta

History

Year of Establishment : 1921

History of the department : Calcutta University was established in 1857. Anthropology was introduced in the University in 1918 as a part of the curriculum of Ancient history and culture. Two years later in 1920, it was given the status of an independent subject for study in M. A., M.Sc. courses. Subsequently in 1921, a separate department of Anthropology was formed. Many eminent scholars were at the helm which brought all the fame and prosperity worthy of a department being oldest in Asia. A number of illustrious persons like R. P. Chanda, P. C. Mahalanabis, S. C. Roy, H. C. Dasgupta, B. A. Gupta, H. C. Chakladar, S. C Mitra, B. C. Mazumdar, P. Mitra, A. N. Chatterjee, T. C. Das, K. P. Chattopadhyay, B. S. Guha, T. C. Ray Chowdhury, R. M. Basu, N. K. Bose, D. Sen, S. S. Sarkar, S. C. Sinha, P. C. Biswas, S. S. Bose, J. K. Bose, H. K. Bose, M. N. Basu, G. S. Ray, A. K. Ghosh, P. K. Bhowmik, S. Sengupta, Tulika Sen, D. P. Mukherjee, A. R. Banerjee, Biswanath Banerjee, R. Ray, A. B. Das Chaudhuri, M. Bhattacharya, late B. Bhattacharya were the teachers of this department. Present faculty consists of Prof. A. R. Bandyopadhyay (HoD), Prof. G. Chakrabarti, Prof. S. Roy, Dr. A. Das, Dr. S. Mukhopadhyay Dr. D. Chatterjee, S. Maji, S. Kisku, D. Mandal and Dr. M. Goswami. With the untiring efforts of the above-mentioned teachers, a well-organized Department equipped with facilities for teaching and conducting research emerged.

A few notable Alumni and faculties of the department include Prof. L. K. Anantha Krishna Iyer, The founder of the department and had the tenure from 1921 to 1932, Honorary degrees: Ray Bahadur (in 1921),  Dewan Bahadur (in 1935) and a doctorate degree (in 1934) by University of Breslau

Prof. Kshitish Prasad Chattopadhyay, First professor in the department, member of the Advisory Board of the Cultural Research Institute of West Bengal, a consultant to the UNESCO Research Centre; a recipient of the prestigious Sarvabhauma Award from the Calcutta Pundit Samaj. He was the member of Permanent Council of International Congress of Anthropology and Vice-President of the same body in 1952. He was Honorary Fellow of the Sanskrit College, a Honorary Fellow and Vice-President of the Learned Society of Arts Prehistorique, Paris.

Professor Nirmal Kumar Bose, A nationalist freedom fighter, the director of the Anthropological Survey of India from 1959 to 1964.

Professor Tarak Chandra Das, T.C. Das tried to rigorously develop field methods which could be fruitfully utilized in describing the living conditions of tribals, peasants as well as urbanites. He felt convinced that anthropological method of detailed contextual observation would be of immense help in social reconstruction

Professor Dharani Sen, The prehistory in Bengal came of age in the 1960s and grew into a conscious and scientific discipline due mainly to Professor Dharani Sen and his pupils. Professor Prabodh Kumar Bhowmik
Former Dean of Faculty of Science, Calcutta University, renowned action anthropologist. Visiting Professor of S.V. University Tirupati and IIT Kharagpur

Professor Amulya Ratan Banerjee, Professor, Humboldt Fellow, Former, Professor of Calcutta University

Professor Asit Baran Das Chaudhuri, Professor, D.Sc, Humboldt Fellow, Former, Professor of Calcutta University

Surajit Chandra SInha, A professor at Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Director, Anthropological Survey of India; Former, Upacharya, Visva-Bharati; Director, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.

Annada Charan Bhagabati , Professor of Anthropology, Gauhati and Dibrugarh Universitiesand Vice-Chancellor of Arunachal University, Hon. Coordinator, N.E. Regional Centre of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts

Andre Betealie, Professor of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics at the University of Delhi where he is Professor Emeritus of Sociology since 2003. In 2005, Béteille received the Padma Bhusan from Government of India, as a mark of recognition for his work in the field of Sociology. He was appointed National Research Professor by the Government of India in 2007, a Fellow of the British Academy, a member of the Prime Minister's National Knowledge Commission. Professor Emeritus at Department of Sociology, University of Delhi. He was the Chancellor of North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya and Ashoka University, in India

Gouranga P. Chattopadhyay, Organisational Consultants & Personal Counsellors; Professor Emeritus--Academy of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India (from IIM, Ahmedabad, India). Faculty in Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (India); Manchester Business School (UK), Graduate School of Management, Swinburne University, Melbourne (Australia); University College of Swansea, (UK); and Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University; UNDP/CFTC Adviser on Modern Management Techniques, East African Community, Tanzania; Consultant at the Leicester Group Relations Conferences (GRC) of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, also group relations conferences held in UK by The Grubb Institute of Behavioural Studies (London)

Amitabha Basu, Professor, Full Bright Fellow, D.Sc. Served as Professor, Indian Statistical Institute

Special award/ recognition from UGC or related statutory body : UGC DRS, DSA Phase I, II, III, ASIHSS Program