M.N. Srinivas is regarded as the pioneer of village studies in India. His seminal work The Remembered Village on Rampura presented an intensive, firsthand account of caste, religion, and power at the micro level. By adopting prolonged fieldwork and participant observation, Srinivas set methodological benchmarks, highlighting processes like “dominant caste” and “Sanskritization.”

Other Indian sociologists added diverse perspectives. S.C. Dube, in Indian Village, studied Shamirpet and emphasized the structural and cultural dimensions of village life. His ethnographic and descriptive approach portrayed the village as an integrated unit, paying close attention to rituals, stratification, and inter-caste ties that sustained its cohesion.

D.N. Majumdar, through his study of Mohana in Caste and Communication in an Indian Village, combined statistical techniques with ethnography. He explored demographic, economic, and communication patterns, showing how caste acted as a network beyond ritual hierarchy. Majumdar’s approach linked village dynamics to regional and national structures, broadening the scope of village studies.

Andre Beteille, in Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in a Tanjore Village, introduced a rigorous analytical framework. His study of Sripuram went beyond description, examining the intersections of caste, class, and political power. Beteille demonstrated that stratification was multi-dimensional, dynamic, and shaped by shifting economic and political contexts.

While Srinivas provided the foundation with holistic ethnography, Dube enriched the cultural perspective, Majumdar added quantitative rigor and socio-economic analysis, and Beteille pushed the discourse towards theoretical sophistication. Collectively, their approaches illustrate the evolution of Indian village studies—from descriptive accounts to theoretically informed analyses—capturing both continuity and change in rural social life.