Comprised of nineteen chapters written by a diverse group of scholars and researchers, Anthropological Research in India: Retrospect and Prospects analyses the history and future of anthropology on the subcontinent, ranging from prehistoric civilizations and colonial legacies to Indigenous medicine and coffee culture.

This book provides an opportunity for students, academicians, scholars, and researchers in India and around the world to familiarize themselves with the evolution, diversification, and development of anthropological research in India. Comprised of nineteen chapters written by a diverse group of scholars and researchers, Anthropological Research in India: Retrospect and Prospects analyzes the history and future of anthropology on the subcontinent, ranging from prehistoric civilizations and colonial legacies to Indigenous medicine and coffee culture.

Section 1: Legacies/Theoretical Concerns

Chapter 1: Research Tradition in Biological Anthropology: The Past Emerges into the Light of Present

Chapter 2: The Romance of the Discovery of India’s Prehistoric Past

Chapter 3: Different Dimensions of Tribal Studies: Past, Present and Future

Section 2: Prehistoric Cultures

Chapter 4: Gharchaal: An Ancient Game on Cupules in Ghumarwin Sub-Himalayan Area of Himachal Pradesh

Chapter 5: Ghaghra: A Late Acheulean Site of the Dulung River Valley, Eastern India

Section 3: Elements of Indian Civilization: Caste, Fairs, and Rituals

Chapter 6: A Holistic Manifestation of Caste System in Indian Civilization: A Semiotic Analysis

Chapter 7: The Impact of ‘Mela’ on the People and Culture: A Qualitative Study on Local ‘Sampriti Utsav’ Fair of Haldia, West Bengal

Chapter 8: The Cult of Goddess Mangal Chandi: An Anthropological Understanding of Womanhood

Section 4: Indigenous Groups: Economy, Health, Culture, and Development

Chapter 9: Echoes from the Tea Gardens of Dooars: A Study of the Tea Migrant Tribes of North Bengal

Chapter 10: Indigenous Health Care System of the Santhal Tribe of Jharkhand: With Special Reference to the Cases of Snake, Scorpion and Hornet Biting

Chapter 11: Images on Fabrics in the North-Eastern Region of India: A Traditional Course

Chapter 12: Indigenous Knowledge: A Whole

Chapter 13: Ethnomedicinal Practices among the Northern Tribes of West Bengal: A Brief Anthropological Review

Chapter 14: Tribal Women Empowerment in Natural Resource Management: Two Case Studies

Section 5: Contemporary Issues

Chapter 15: Effects of Lead on Growth of Children

Chapter 16: Female Foeticides: Developed Technological Threats in Indian Demography

Chapter 17: Essay on Anthropology of Mobile Phone

Chapter 18: Disorder and Deviance: Social Life of a Diabetic Women in Kolkata

Chapter 19: Vicissitudes in the Flow of Adda Culture: A Pre-Pandemic Assessment of Indian Coffee House, Kolkata