In my program, my coursework is centered largely on anthropological theory and concepts with a decent amount of overlapping sociological themes. One of my favorite classes I am taking this semester is a sociology/women’s studies course entitled Gender, Caste, and Politics. The course is taught by Professor Tiphagne, an incredible professor from Lady Doak College, the largest all-women’s college in Madurai.
Professor Tiphagne is a wealth of knowledge about how sociological phenomenon play out in India’s caste system and how these broader concepts are intrinsically tied to and greatly influence definitions of gender in society. Professor Tiphagne’s lectures and discussion of the coursework was not unfamiliar to me; my sociology classes are continually taught by professors engaging with coursework with an intersectional framework.
During one class, I and several other students were discussing how students at Lady Doak engaged with disciplines like sociology and women’s studies. Our discussion was prompted by a collection of essays about the development of feminism in India as written by numerous professors at the college. Personally, I had found the essays, while often passionate and well intentioned, to carry underlying messages of moral uprightness as an inevitable result of women’s equality. I have definitely come across themes like this in sociological scholarship at home, but I had always viewed those works as exceptions to the norm of sociological discourse. When I asked Professor Tiphagne about it, she shared with me that one of the elements lacking in studying sociology and women’s studies at Lady Doak is the inclusion of men in the discourse and the encouragement of male participation in the larger movement.
Additionally, in her experiences she has found it challenging to engage students with a “judgement free framework” for approaching complex areas of study in her undergraduate and graduate level sociology classes. With this I was able to gain a better understanding of how some sociological scholarship (in Tamil Nadu and at home) becomes tinged with moral argument amidst social science research.
Professor Tiphagne’s insight helped me understand something critical about studying sociology; there is no formula for studying culture and society, nor should there be. Western sociology is not the prescription method for studying the world. Additionally, studying social science with a “judgement free framework” as Professor Tiphagne says is critical to understanding the world. Having seen the field in a different cultural context and gaining a greater awareness for responsible and ethical applications of sociology, I think that I will be able to more critically engage with my readings and research upon returning to campus.