Anthropology Optional Syllabus for UPSC Mains 2025, Paper 1 & 2 Syllabus PDF

1.1 Meaning, Scope, and Development of Anthropology

 1.2 Relationships with other disciplines

(a) Social-cultural Anthropology.

(b) Biological Anthropology.

(c) Archaeological Anthropology.

(d) Linguistic Anthropology.

(a) Biological and Cultural factors in human evolution.

(b) Theories of Organic Evolution

(c) Synthetic theory of evolution; Brief outline of terms and concepts of evolutionary biology

• Evolutionary Trend and Primate Taxonomy
• Primate Adaptations (Arboreal and Terrestrial)
• Primate Taxonomy
• Primate Behaviour
• Tertiary and Quaternary Fossil primates
• Living Major Primates
• Comparative Anatomy of Man and Apes

(a) Plio-preleistocene hominids in South and East African—Australopithecines.

  (b) Homo erectus: Africa (Paranthropus), Europe (Homo erectus (heidelbergensis), Asia (Homo erectus javanicus, Homo erectus pekinensis.

  (c) Neanderthal man - La-chapelle-aux-saints (Classical type), Mt. Carmel (Progressive type).

 (d) Rhodesian man.

 (e) Homo sapiens—Cromagnon, Grimaldi and Chancelede.

(a) Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology Chronology: Relative and Absolute Dating methods.

 (b) Cultural Evolution—Broad Outlines of Prehistoric Cultures:

  (i) Paleolithic

  (ii) Mesolithic

  (iii) Neolithic

  (iv) Chalcolithic

  (v) Copper-Bronze age

  (vi) Iron Age

2.1 The Nature of Culture: The Concept and Characteristics of Culture and Civilization; Ethnocentrism vis-a-vis Cultural Relativism.

2.2 The Nature of Society : Concept of Society; Society and Culture; Social Institution; Social groups; and Social stratification.

2.3 Marriage: Definition and universality; Laws of marriage, Type of marriage, Functions of marriage; Marriage regulations, Marriage payments.

2.4 Family: Definition and universality; Family, household, and domestic groups; functions of family; Types of family, Impact of urbanization, industrialization, and feminist movements on family.

2.5 Kinship: Consanguinity and Affinity; Principles and types of descent, Forms of descent groups, Kinship terminology, Descent, Filiation and Complimentarity.

• Meaning, scope, and relevance of economic anthropology
• Formalist and Substantivist debate
• Principles governing production distribution and exchange in communities
• Subsisting on hunting and gathering, fishing, swiddening, pastoralism, horticulture, and agriculture
• Globalization and indigenous economic system.

• Band, tribe, chiefdom, kingdom, and state
• Concepts of power, authority, and legitimacy
• Social control, law, and justice in simple Societies.

• Anthropological approaches to the study of religion
• Monotheism and polytheism; sacred and profane
• Myths and rituals; forms of religion in tribal and peasant Societies Religion, magic, and science distinguished
• Magico-religious functionaries

(a) Classical evolutionism (Tylor, Morgan, and Frazer)

(b) Historical particularism (Boas) Diffusionism (British, German and American)

 (c) Functionalism (Malinowski); Structural—Functionlism (Radcliffe-Brown)

 (d) Structuralism (L’evi-Strauss and E. Leach)

  (e) Culture and personality (Benedict, Mead, Linton, Kardiner, and Cora-du Bois)

  (f) Neo—evolutionism (Childe, White, Steward, Sahlins, and Service)

  (g) Cultural materialism (Harris) 

  (h) Symbolic and interpretive theories (Turner, Schneider, and Geertz)

  (i) Cognitive theories (Tyler, Conklin)

  (j) Post-modernism in anthropology.

9.1 Human Genetics: Methods and Application, Methods for the study of genetic principles in the man-family study, biochemical methods, immunological methods, D.N.A. technology, and recombinant technologies.

  9.2 Mendelian genetics in man-family study, single factor, multifactor, lethal, sub-lethal, and polygenic inheritance in man.

  9.3 Concept of genetic polymorphism and selection , Mendelian population, Hardy-Weinberg law, Consanguineous and non-consanguineous mating, genetic load, genetic effect of consanguineous and cousin marriages.

  9.4 Chromosomes and chromosomal aberrations in man methodology. (a) Numerical and structural aberrations (disorders). (b) Sex chromosomal aberration, intersex, and other syndromic disorders. (c) Autosomal aberrations (d) Genetic imprints in human disease, human DNA profiling, genome study, etc.

  9.5 Race and racism , biological basis of morphological variation of non-metric and characters.

  9.6 Age, sex, and population variation as a genetic marker

  9.7 Concepts and methods of Ecological Anthropology: Bio-cultural Adaptations, Man’s physiological responses to environmental stresses.

  9.8 Epidemiological Anthropology: Health and disease.

• Stages of growth
• Factors affecting growth and development
• Ageing and senescence.
• Biological and chronological longevity.
• Human physique and somatotypes.
• Methodologies for growth studies.

11.1 Fertility patterns and differentials. Relevance of menarche, menopause, and other bioevents to fertility.

  11.2 Demographic theories -biological, social, and cultural.

  11.3 Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility, natality, and mortality.

• Anthropology of sports
• Nutritional anthropology
• Anthropology in designing defence and other equipment
• Forensic Anthropology
• Methods and principles of personal identification and reconstruction
• Applied human genetics.

• Prehistoric, Protohistoric (Indus Civilization).
• Pre-Harappan, Harappan and post Harappan cultures.
• Contributions of the tribal cultures to Indian civilization.

1.2 Palaeo—Anthropological evidence from India with special reference to Siwaliks and Narmada basin.

 1.3. Ethno-archaeology in India: The concept of ethnoarchaeology; Survivals and Parallels among the hunting, foraging, fishing, pastoral and peasant communities.

3.1 The structure and nature of the traditional Indian social system

3.2 Caste System in India

3.3 Sacred Complex and Nature

3.4. Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity on Indian society.

• Contributions of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th Century scholars and administrators.
• Contributions of Indian anthropologists to tribal and caste studies.

5.1 Indian Village —Significance of village study in India; Traditional and changing patterns of settlement and inter-caste relations; Agrarian relations in Indian villages, Impact of globalization on Indian villages. 5.2 Linguistic and religious minorities and their social, political, and economic status.

5.3 Indigenous and Exogenous Processes of socio-cultural Change in Indian Society.

6.1 Tribal situation in India —Bio-genetic variability, linguistic and socio-economic characteristics.

6.2 Problems of the tribal Communities.

6.3 Developmental projects and their impact on tribal displacement and problems of rehabilitation.

7.1 Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.

 7.2 Social change and contemporary tribal societies

 7.3 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.

8.1 Impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and other religions on tribal societies.

8.2 Tribe and nation-state —a comparative study of tribal communities in India and other countries.

9.1 History of administration of tribal areas, tribal policies, plans, programs of tribal development, and their implementation. The concept of Primitive Tribal Groups. Role of N.G.O.s in tribal development.

9.2 Role of anthropology in tribal and rural development.

 9.3 Contributions of anthropology to the understanding of regionalism, communalism, and ethnic and political movements.

1. Physical Anthropology – P Nath
2. Anthropology Simplified – Vivek Bhasme
3. Anthropology – Ember and Ember
4. Ministries Website (ASI, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, etc.)

1. Indian Anthropology - Nadeem Hasnain
2. Tribal India – Nadeem Hasnain
3. Anthropology Simplified- Vivek Bhasme
4. The Tribal Culture of India – LP Vidyarthi
5. XAXA Report