Question

McKim Marriot gave the concept of universalization and parochialization in his work on

• A. Gaya
• B. Rampura
• C. Kishangarhi
• D. Shivapura

Hint:

When you see the terms "universalization" and "parochialization" or "Great and Little Traditions" in the context of Indian anthropology, the key scholar to remember is McKim Marriott, and his fieldsite is Kishangarhi.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks to identify the specific village study through which the anthropologist McKim Marriott developed his influential concepts of "universalization" and "parochialization." These concepts describe the interaction between the "Great Tradition" (pan-Indian, often text-based Sanskritic Hinduism) and the "Little Tradition" (local, folk, and oral traditions) in Indian villages.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
- Universalization is the process by which elements of the Little Tradition (local customs, deities) are carried upward and incorporated into the Great Tradition.
- Parochialization is the opposite process, where elements of the Great Tradition are carried downward and transformed or reinterpreted within the context of the local Little Tradition.
- McKim Marriott formulated these concepts based on his intensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the 1950s in the village of Kishangarhi, located in the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India. His analysis was published in his famous essay "Little Communities in an Indigenous Civilization," which appeared in the edited volume "Village India: Studies in the Little Community" (1955).
- Other villages listed are associated with different anthropologists' studies (e.g., Rampura with M.N. Srinivas).
Step 3: Final Answer:
McKim Marriott's work on universalization and parochialization is based on his study of the village of Kishangarhi.