Anthropology OPTIONAL

Anthropology as an optional subject in the UPSC civil services mains exam

is a popular choice for aspirants, especially for those with a science or
engineering background. It is also an interesting subject and considered
scoring by many. Last year’s UPSC topper Anudeep Durishetty (AIR 1, CSE
2017) had anthropology as his optional subject.

Anthropology optional advantages

• In anthropology, the questions asked are generally direct.
• It is considered scoring when compared to core humanities subjects. It
is scientific in nature, so the answers can be made more appealing by
diagrams and flowcharts. These save time while writing answers and
also fetch marks.
• Its syllabus is relatively short. It can be completed in 4 months time if
the right strategy and study material are followed.
• It is a good option for candidates with a science or engineering
background and don’t wish to take their graduation subjects as their
optionals.
• It is an interesting subject and easy to understand.
• The performance of this optional has been consistent unlike some
other popular subjects.
• The overlap with General Studies is lesser than subjects like political
science, public administration and economy, but there is a degree of
overlap nevertheless.
◦ Topics like society and social justice (part of GS I, II) become
easier if you have studied anthropology.
◦ In GS ll paper, Welfare of weaker section of society will be
covered under Tribal Development topic of Anthropology.
◦ In the Essay Paper, tribal dimensions can be quoted in a better
way .
◦ In Ethics’s case studies, tribal issues can be better handled with
the Anthropology optional.
◦ In GS lll, Internal Security issue can be better understand with the
Anthropology optional.
◦ A good portion of biotechnology and biology will also be covered.
 ◦ You can write answers on current events in the light of
anthropology and score good marks because of a different
perspective. For instance, issues like cow slaughter ban, social
control, etc. can be written with an anthropological basis.
Anthropology optional disadvantages
• Guidance is limited unlike political science, geography, history, etc.
• Proper guidance is required; otherwise it takes a lot of time to
complete the syllabus by self-study.
• Conceptual clarity is a must as mugging up will not help to score
marks in this optional.

Anthropology UPSC Books

Paper I
• Introducing Sociology NCERT Class XI
• Biology NCERT book For Class Xll (Chapter 5, 6, 7)
• An Introduction to Social Cultural Anthropology – N.K Vaid Buy Now
• An Introduction to Social Anthropology – D.N. Majumdar and T.N.
Madan (for basic understating of Anthropology) Buy Now
• Anthropological Theories – Makhan Jha
• Measuring Time (Chapter 2) of Indian Prehistory – D.K Bhattacharya
• Biology NCERT Class XII
• Physical Anthropology – P. Nath Buy Now
• IGNOU MA Course for Anthropology
Paper II
• Indian Anthropology – Nadeem Hasnain Buy Now
• Indian Society – NCERT Class XII
• Social Change and Development in India – NCERT Class XII
• Tribal India – Nadeem Hasnain Buy Now
• Xaxa Committee Report
• Tribal Culture Of India – L P Vidyarathi Buy Now
• Tribal Ministry Website
• IGNOU MA Course For Anthropology

Preparation tips for Anthropology

• Go through the UPSC syllabus for anthropology thoroughly. This is
your key to performing well in the exam. You must also go through the
 previous year question papers and get an idea of the most important
topics.
• Divide the syllabus into sections so that you can cover it easily without
getting bogged down. Paper I consists of Social Cultural Anthropology
and Biological Anthropology. Paper II consists of Indian Society and
Tribal India.
• Focus on getting conceptual clarity.
• Try to relate each chapter with others. All chapters are inter-related in
this paper.
• Note making is important for this subject. Incorporate relevant
diagrams and flowcharts wherever possible in your notes. They help
revision easier and are also a must-have for scoring good marks in
anthropology.
• If you are a novice to the subject, it is recommended that you attempt
as many questions from physical anthropology. Here, there is ample
scope for diagrams and the questions are largely static.
• Answer writing:
◦ Answer writing practice is a must if you want to score good
marks. Try to answer like a specialist. You answers must be
divided into: definitions, introduction, explanation, criticisms, etc.
When citing something, try to mention the name of the
researcher/anthropologist whose work you are referring to and
also its criticisms by other scientists. For example, Franz Boas in
his article “The Limitation of the Comparative Method of
Anthropology (1896)” criticized the evolutionary approach and
laid the foundations of Historical Particularism.
◦ When you write about one concept, you talk about a main thinker
and explain it. But you can get brownie points if you also quote
other thinkers on the subject. For instance, in Paper II, in the
topic ‘Tribe-based Continuum’, almost every answer will talk
about the work of Bailey, but your answer can stand out from the
crowd if you write about Madia Gonds as described by Surajit
Sinha.
◦ Include side-headings in your answers. They give a proper
structure to your answers and also make it easier for the
examiner to correct. They also make the answer more
presentable and neat.
 ◦ As mentioned before, include lots of relevant diagrams and
flowcharts in your answers. They save time and also drive home
the point better. A good diagram fetches marks. For this, you
must practice diagrams every day.
◦ Time management is a must. In the exam hall, students can get
carried away and tend to write more a particular topic. Your
strategy should be to complete the paper on time. Every question
is important. To manage time better and complete the paper, you
should practice answer-writing rigorously.
• Case studies
◦ Case studies are very important in anthropology. Include as
many case studies as possible in your answers.
◦ For example, you can write about the Criminal Tribes Act while
answering questions about Cultural Relativism. Here, you can
talk about how the Act equated a sedentary life with civilised life
and grouped many nomadic tribes as criminals by birth, which
stigmatised a whole section of society and future generations as
well.
◦ To give another example, on a question on the impact of
industrialisation of Scheduled Tribes on Jharkhand’s population,
you can quote a case study by the Tribal Research Institute in
Ranchi.
◦ You should collect a good number of case studies for relevant
topics and study them.
• Where can you get case studies?
◦ The Hindu newspaper
◦ Economic and Political Weekly (EPW)
◦ Xaxa Committee
◦ Ministry of Tribal Affairs website
• A few topics for which you can collect case studies:
◦ Problems of the tribal Communities – land alienation, poverty,
indebtedness, low literacy, poor educational facilities,
unemployment, underemployment, health and nutrition.
◦ Linguistic and religious minorities and their social, political and
economic status.
◦ Developmental projects and their impact on tribal displacement
and problems of rehabilitation. Development of forest policy and
 tribals. Impact of urbanization and industrialization on tribal
populations.
◦ Panchayati Raj and social change; Media and social change.
◦ Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Constitutional
safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.
◦ The concept of ethnicity; Ethnic conflicts and political
developments; Unrest among tribal communities; Regionalism
and demand for autonomy; Pseudo-tribalism; Social change
among the tribes during colonial and post-Independent India.
◦ Social change and contemporary tribal societies: Impact of
modern democratic institutions, development programmes and
welfare measures on tribals and weaker sections.
◦ Impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other
religions on tribal societies.
◦ Role of anthropology in tribal and rural development.
◦ History of administration of tribal areas, tribal policies, plans,
programmes of tribal development and their implementation. The
concept of PTGs (Primitive Tribal Groups), their distribution,
special programmes for their development. Role of N.G.O.s in
tribal development.
◦ Contributions of anthropology to the understanding of
regionalism, communalism, and ethnic and political movements.
• Current affairs – Linking current affairs to the syllabus is important in
anthropology also like in any other subject. Scan the newspapers for
important news like the discovery of a new fossil, a new finding in
genetics, or a new scheme launched by the government for tribes in
the country. Have a separate file for anthropology-related current
affairs.