Stephen Fuchs
Stephen Fuchs | |
---|---|
Asian Folklore Studies | |
Awards | Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class |
Academic background | |
Education | Doctor of Philosophy |
Alma mater | University of Vienna (Ph.D.) |
Influences | Wilhelm Schmidt |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Anthropology |
Sub-discipline | Ethnology Ethnography |
Institutions | Founder and ex–director of Institute of Indian Culture, Mumbai |
Main interests | Ethnology and prehistory of India |
Stephen Fuchs (April 30, 1908 – January 17, 2000) was an Austrian Catholic priest, missionary, and
In his research, Fuchs conducted field studies in Central India. He focused particularly on the customs and beliefs of modern Indian tribes. Originally when he moved to India, he researched solely the social and cultural customs of modern-day central Indian tribes. After founding the Institute of Indian Culture, Fuchs researched the cultures of ancient India, back to India's original inhabitants.
Early life and education
Fuchs was born on 30 April 1908 at Bruck an der Mur in Styria, Austria. Later, his family moved to Graz, where he studied at the advanced mission high school of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) from 1922 to 1927. He joined the SVD's in 1927, and studied philosophy at St. Augustine in Bonn, Germany from 1927 to 1930, and theology at St. Gabriel in Mödling, Austria from 1930 to 1934. In Mödling, he took linguistics classes from Wilhelm Schmidt who taught ethnology and linguistics at the seminary of St. Gabriel. It was after coming in contact with Schmidt that he decided to become an anthropologist.[3][4]
Later in 1934, he was ordained and appointed by the SVD's to one of its missions that was opened in 1932 in
Research
Along with being an anthropologist, Fuchs was a Catholic priest and missionary. Fuchs saw himself predominately as a scientist and a researcher. Bernd Pflug writes, "It is hard to say who was the more dominant in Fuchs—the missionary or the scholar? There is evidence for both, but looking at his anthropological research as a whole over more than six decades, it seems plausible to argue that the scholar in Fuchs had always the upper hand though this hand was tied to the task of mission." Fuchs believed that he could combine his "missionary work with scholarly contributions to early Indian civilisation".
He was an editorial board member of the
Initial research
Fuchs initiated his studies by researching the
During the second world war, along with other missionaries from Germany, he was designated as an
Later research
After completing his PhD. in 1950 from Austria, Fuchs moved back to India and assisted in the establishment of the Department of Anthropology at Mumbai's
Fuchs researched the ancient history of India, particularly the Aryans,
Written work
Fuchs' The Origin of Man and His Culture (1963) was reviewed by Harumi Befu of the University of Michigan who raised concerns over and questioned Fuchs' knowledge of paleontology, racial classification, and the advances in genetics. Befu further noted that Fuchs offered "only stages and no mechanism or process of evolution from one stage to another."[16] Fuchs, however, drew some praise from R. K. Mutatkar for his unbiased approach towards the "discussion of the theory of anthropology" despite taking in the "Indian material"; though, Mutatkar noted that Fuchs attempted to offer "too much" information in a single book, and as a consequence, several key topics got inadequate coverage.[17]
Fuchs' Rebellious Prophets: A Study of Messianic Movements in Indian Religions (1965) was assessed by Kenelm Burridge[18] and Owen Lynch.[11] Assessing the book, Burridge noted that Fuchs assembled "a wide range of much neglected material on Indian 'messianic' movements".[18] Lynch stated that Fuchs did "a factual reporting of the data at hand".[11] Indiana University's David Bidney reviewed Fuchs' coauthored book Essays in Ethnology (1969) that comprises 13 essays, all of which have "historical ethnology as developed by Fritz Graebner, Wilhelm Schmidt, Wilhelm Koppers and their followers" as the common subject matter. Assessing the essays, Bidney stated that though the authors were focused on the prehistory, they did not "clarify and resolve the basic issues" which their predecessors left for them.[19] The Korkus of the Vindhya Hills (1988) was a volume having Fuchs' research on the "geographical environment and material culture", history, economy, and belief structure of the Korkus. University of Delhi's Sudha Gupta noted that Fuchs had done fieldwork among the tribal people of Vindhya hills region for over 20 years.[20] Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf viewed his research as a "meticulous analysis" of the subject matter.[21]
The Children of Hari (1950)
Fuchs' The Children of Hari: A Study of the Nimar Balahis in the Central Provinces of India was a monographic anthropological–sociological study on the Balahi people, particularly, of the Nimar district of Madhya Pradesh.[22][9]
The Aboriginal Tribes of India (1973–74)
In The Aboriginal Tribes of India
Edward J. Jay of
At the Bottom of Indian Society (1981)
Fuchs' At the Bottom of Indian Society: The Harijan and Other Low Castes was a companion volume of his previous book The Aboriginal Tribes of India, and it was an outcome of library research on India's all
Reviewing Fuchs' research, G. E. Ferro-Luzzi noted the Fuchs examined "all the numerous criteria for lowness" and instability of the Harijans and the people from other lower castes in the Indian social stratum.[35] Yoshio Sugimoto questioned Fuchs' categorization of various tribes, castes, communities, and social classes under the umbrella terms like "Untouchables", "Harijan castes", and "Harijan and other low castes". Sugimoto wrote, "we are therefore in the dark as to which term he uses to refer to the category in general."[34]
Move to Austria and death
Fuchs was a cultural anthropologist who excelled at field work and note taking. He is celebrated and honoured for his recording of the cultures of the peoples where he resided. He had an acute ear for language and history. He formed his own method of anthropology and stayed away from the academic assumptions and cultural theories of the Vienna School. He was both praised and criticised for the depth and simplicity of his work. He set strong boundaries for his works, which, to other anthropologists were richly rewarding yet frustrating.
Fuchs moved to Austria in 1996 due to concerns related to health.[3] On 26 March 1998, Fuchs was awarded the Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class by the government of Austria.[4] He was awarded the Golden Doctor Diploma on 14 November 1999 specifically "in recognition of his contribution to the field of Indian Anthropology". The document additionally stated that he "gained the highest merits for the ethnology of India". He died at the age of 91 years on 17 January 2000 at St. Gabriel, Mödling in Austria, and his body is buried at the graveyard of the seminary where the body of Wilhelm Schmidt is buried.[3]
Works
Fuchs wrote 22 books, nearly 150 articles, and many
Books
- Fuchs, Stephen (1996). The Vedic Horse Sacrifice: In Its Culture–historical Relations. New Delhi: Inter-India. LCCN 96901614.
- Fuchs, Stephen (1990). Kämpchen, Martin (ed.). Das Leben ist ein Tanz. Lieder der Indischen Ureinwohner. Ausgewählt, aus den Stammessprachen Übersetzt und Eingeleitet von Stefan Fuchs [Life is a Dance. Songs of the Native Indian People. Selected, Translated from the Tribal Languages and Introduced by Stefan Fuchs] (in German). Zurich: Benziger Verlag.[37]
- Fuchs, Stephen (1974) [1973]. The Aboriginal Tribes of India. New Delhi: LCCN 74902196.
- Fuchs, Stephen (1960). The Gond and Bhumia of Eastern Mandla. London: Asia Publishing House. LCCN 60004492.
- Fuchs, Stephen (1957). Social Origins. Mumbai: Gyanayatan. OCLC 717104031.
- Fuchs, Stephen (1945). The Great Synthesis. Light of the East. Vol. 32 (2nd ed.). Ranchi: Catholic Press. OCLC 41629014.
Selected papers
- Fuchs, Stephen (1964). "Magic Healing Techniques among the Balahis in Central India". Magic, Faith and Healing: Studies in Primitive Psychiatry Today.[38]
- Fuchs, Stephen (May–August 1952). "Another Version of the Baiga Creation Myth". Anthropos. 47 (3/4). JSTOR 40449679.
- Fuchs, Stephen (1965). "Messianic Movements in Primitive India". Asian Folklore Studies. 24 (1). Nagoya, Japan: Anthropological Institute, JSTOR 1177596.
- Fuchs, Stephen (1972). Land Scarcity and Land Hunger among Some Aboriginal Tribes of Western Central India.[39]
- Fuchs, Stephen (1966). "Messianic Movements in Tribal India". Journal of the Anthropological Society of Bombay. 12 (1): 15–33.[27]: 12
- Fuchs, Stephen (1942). "The Marriage Rites of the Bhils in the Nimar District". OCLC 33288488.
See also
- Mikhail Konstantinovich Kudryavtsev
- Paul Hockings
Notes
- ^ Bombay was officially renamed as Mumbai on 22 November 1995[2]
- ^ A 20th century anthropology movement
- ^ The University of Bombay was officially renamed as the University of Mumbai on 4 September 1996.[10]
- ^ Viennese Contributions to Cultural History and Linguistics
- ^ This book was originally composed in 1973.[25] This book's 1st edition was published in 1973[26] and 1974.[27]: 8 Its 2nd and 3rd editions were published in 1977 and 1992, respectively.[27]: 8
- ^ Sikkim became a part of the Republic of India on 16 May 1975[29]
- ^ Assessed the edition of the book which was published at New York in the US in 1977 by St. Martin's Press.[32] It was the 2nd edition of the book.[27]: 8
- ^ Assessed the edition of the book which was published at New Delhi in India by Inter-India Publications as part of the Tribal Studies of India series.[28] This was the 3rd and revised edition of the book, and it was published in 1992.[27]: 8
References
- OCLC 1102419431.
- LCCN 2009341314.
- ^ JSTOR 1179031.
- ^ JSTOR 40465958.
- ^ S2CID 149400104.
- JSTOR 1179031.
He was awarded a Doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1950 for his study of the horse sacrifice, an important sacrificial ritual of the Bhumias (a branch of the Baiga tribe). In the dissertation he showed the connection between this ritual and the Ashva Medha horse sacrifice of the Aryans.
- JSTOR 29791174.
The author of this book, Dr. Stephen Fuchs, SVD, is the Acting Director of the Institute of Indian Culture in Bombay. He has worked in the field of Indian ethnology and prehistory for forty years. The extensive experience acquired during this long period has been deepened by his great devotion to his tasks as researcher, lecturer and writer.
- ^ JSTOR 2771809.
- ^ JSTOR 1029703.
- ^ "About university". University of Mumbai. Mumbai, India. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ JSTOR 669958.
- JSTOR 29756030.
- JSTOR 40465958.
Beginning with the Aryans, he traced this history back to the Dravidians and even further back to the original inhabitants of India, to the "primitives or aborigines," as they were often called. These, for Fuchs, were representatives of the earliest inhabitants of India.
- OCLC 60669219.
Dr Stephen Fuchs' study on the 'Vedic Horse Sacrifice in its Culture-Historical Relations' (1996) also shows that the Aryans have been migrating from inner Asia in India and Europe and thus giving birth to the Indo-European language groups, which includes most European languages and many languages of western Asia, including Sanskrit and Hindi.
- ^ Khan, Najibul Hasan (2005). Constitutional Safeguards and Protective Measures of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes — A Critical Appraisal (PDF). Aligarh Muslim University (PhD). pp. 8–9. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- JSTOR 668713.
- JSTOR 42929806.
- ^ JSTOR 2798408.
- JSTOR 671426.
- JSTOR 41919696.
- JSTOR 40461720.
- ^ JSTOR 664082.
- JSTOR 2839752.
- JSTOR 2753553.
- ^ The Aboriginal Tribes of India. 1974. Retrieved 21 August 2020 – via Library of Congress.
- JSTOR 41919755.
The book first appeared in the year 1973 and soon became out of print necessitating a second edition which was received with greater warmth by the readers. This is third edition.
- ^ a b c d e "Institute of Indian Culture: A Profile" (PDF). Institute of Indian Culture. Mumbai, India. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ JSTOR 41919755.
- ^ "Sikkim Becomes An Indian State; Monarchy Ended". The New York Times. 16 May 1975. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ JSTOR 40458929.
- JSTOR 3032415.
- ^ JSTOR 2053548.
- JSTOR 2800167.
- ^ JSTOR 1178500.
- JSTOR 40461036.
- ^ "IIC's Association with the University Department of Sociology, Mumbai" (PDF). Institute of Indian Culture. Mumbai, India. February 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Die Horen, Volume 42, Issues 185–188" (in German). K. Morawietz. 1997: 226.
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(help) - ^ Fuchs, Stephen (1964). "Magic healing techniques among the Balahis in central India". In Kiev, Ari (ed.). Magic, Faith and Healing: Studies in Primitive Psychiatry Today (2 ed.). Glencoe, Illinois: Free Press.
- OCLC 500343321.