An Indian female anthropologist who opposed Nazi racial theories

Irawati Karve led a different life from the people around her.

Born in British-ruled India, where women did not have many rights and freedoms, Karve did the unthinkable: she studied abroad and became a college professor and India’s first female anthropologist.

She married the man of her choice, swam, rode a scooter and even dared to challenge her doctoral supervisor’s racist hypothesis – a famous German anthropologist named Eugen Fischer.

Her writings on Indian culture and civilization and its crown system are ground-breaking and form part of the curriculum in Indian colleges. However, she remains a hidden figure in history and not much is known about her life.

A new book by her granddaughter Urmila Deshpande and academic Thiago Pinto Barbosa titled Iru: The Amazing Life of Irawati Carve sheds light on her remarkable life, and the many opportunities she dared to leave an inspiring mark on the women and men. who came after her.

Born in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1905, Irrawaddy was named after the Irrawaddy River. The only child among six siblings, she was loved by her family and brought up comfortably.

But the young girl’s life took an unexpected turn and brought her experiences as a human being. In addition to strong women, Irrawati’s life is filled with compassionate, progressive men who cross her path and pave the way for her to overcome obstacles, and she enjoys doing so.

At the age of seven, Irawati was sent to a boarding school in Pune – a rare treat from her father when many girls were married off. In Pune, her family officially adopted Irawati and met renowned educationist RP Paranjpye, who raised them as their own.

In the Paranjipi family, Irawati was exposed to a lifestyle that valued critical thinking and righteous living, even if that went against the grain of Indian society. Paranjipee, whom Irawati affectionately called “appa” or “her second father”, was a man far ahead of his time.

A college principal and a strong supporter of women’s education, he was also an atheist. Through him, Irawati discovered the fascinating world of social science and its impact on society.

When Irawati decides to pursue a doctorate in anthropology in Berlin despite the objections of her biological father, she is supported by Parangipiye and her husband Dinkar Karve, a science professor.

In 1927, after a long journey, she arrived in Germany by ship and began pursuing her degree under the guidance of the famous professor of anthropology and eugenics, Fischer.

At the time, Germany was reeling from the effects of World War I and Hitler had not yet come to power. But the specter of anti-Semitism has begun to rear its ugly head. Irawati witnessed this hatred one day when she learned that a Jewish student in her building had been murdered.

In the book, the authors describe the fear, shock and disgust Irrawati felt when she saw the man’s body lying on the sidewalk outside her building, blood dripping onto the concrete.

Irawati wrestled with these sentiments as he worked on Fisher’s assigned thesis: to prove that white Europeans are more rational and rational—and thus racially superior—to white Europeans. This involved the careful study and measurement of 149 human skulls.

Fisher hypothesizes that white Europeans have disproportionate skulls to accommodate larger right frontal lobes, which is thought to be a sign of higher intelligence. However, the Irawati study found no association between race and skull asymmetry.

The authors wrote in the book that “of course he contradicted Fisher’s hypothesis, but also the theories of that institution and the main theories of the time.”

At the risk of her mentor’s anger and her degree, she boldly presented her findings. Fisher gives her the lowest grade, but she rejects the use of human differences to justify discrimination in her research and scientific studies. (Later, the Nazis used Fischer’s theories of racial supremacy to further their agenda, and Fischer joined the Nazi Party.)

Throughout her life, Irawati exhibits this gumption coupled with endless compassion, especially for the women she encounters.

At a time when it was unthinkable for a woman to travel too far from home, Irawati returned home and went on field trips to remote villages in India, sometimes with her male colleagues, other times with her students and children. , to study the life of different tribes.

She joins archeological expeditions to recover 15,000-year-old bones, dealing with the past and the present. These harrowing journeys took her into the jungles and rugged terrain for weeks or months at a time; The book states that she sleeps in barns or truck beds and often goes with little food.

Irawati bravely faced societal and personal prejudices as she interacted with people from all walks of life.

The authors describe how Irawati, a Chitpavan Brahmin in a traditionally vegetarian upper-class Hindu community, boldly ate a piece of partially raw meat offered to her by a tribal leader she wanted to study. She knew it was a sign of friendship and a test of loyalty by responding openly and eagerly.

Her studies led her to develop a deep compassion for humanity, which later led her to criticize fundamentalism in religions, including Hinduism. She believes that what India calls home belongs to everyone.

Reflecting on the Nazis’ atrocities against the Jews, the book recalls the moment when Irrawati came to a startling realization that changed her view of humanity forever.

“In these reflections, Irawati learns the most difficult lesson from Hindu philosophy: that all you are,” the authors write.

Irrawaddy She died in 1970, but her legacy lives on in her work and the people she inspires.