T. K. Oommen (in full Tharailath Koshy Oommen) is an Indian
sociologist, author, teacher, and
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems,
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...
. He was awarded
Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian award in 2008 for his services to the fields of education and literature by the
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
.
He was the 12th president of
International Sociological Association
The International Sociological Association (ISA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences. It is an international sociological body, gathering both individuals and national sociolo ...
(1990–1994).
Biography
T. K. Oommen was born on 16 October 1937 as the second male child to Saramma and Koshy of the Keerikattu family at Tharailath, Venmony, Alleppey,
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
. After early schooling in Alappuzha, Oommen obtained his BA in Economics from
Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram in 1957 and MA in Sociology from
Pune University in 1960. He continued at Pune University for his doctoral research and obtained PhD in 1965 on ''Charisma, stability and change: an analysis of Bhoodan-Gramdan movement in India'' under the supervision of Prof. Y. B. Damle.
He currently resides at National Media Campus,
Gurgaon
Gurgaon (pronunciation: ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...
in Haryana.
Career
Oommen started his career as a lecturer in Social Sciences at
Delhi School of Social Work
Delhi School of Social Work is a school of social work in India and the first graduate school of social work in Asia to be recognized by a university. It is currently known as the Department of Social Work (DSW) of University of Delhi.
Histo ...
,
Delhi University
Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...
(1964–70) where he worked as the Reader in Sociology (1970–71). He then moved to the ''Centre for the Study of Social Systems (CSSS)'',
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...
as Associate Professor (1971–76) and later became the Professor of Sociology (1976–2002).
[ISA Presidents: T.K. Oommen]
/ref>
During 2003–2006, he was involved with the following projects:
* He was the Chairman of the Advisory Committee, Gujarat Harmony Project, to explore the possibility of reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims after the 2002 communal carnage in Gujarat.
* He was a member of the Prime Minister's High Level Committee, to study the Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India, popularly known as the Sachar Committee
The Sachar Committee was a seven-member High Level Committee in India established in March 2005 by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The committee was headed by former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Rajinder Sachar to study the social, econom ...
.
* He held the Chairmanship of Ford Foundation on ''Non-traditional Security''.
In 2007, he was made Professor Emeritus at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Positions held
T. K. Oommen held various positions at International Sociological Association
The International Sociological Association (ISA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences. It is an international sociological body, gathering both individuals and national sociolo ...
during the period 1986 to 1994.
* 1986 Secretary General, XI World Congress of Sociology, New Delhi
* 1986–90 EC member
* 1990–94 President (He was only person from Asia and Africa to hold the post[Author Summary : T. K. Oommen – Pearson Education, India]
/ref>)
He also held other positions during his career:
* Treasurer, Indian Sociological Society
Indian Sociological Society (ISS) is a professional body of sociologists in India. It publishes academic research journals, the ''Sociological Bulletin'' in English and the ''Bhartiya Samajshastra Sameeksha'' in Hindi language.
History
In in ...
1975–78.
* Secretary, Indian Sociological Society, 1989–91.
* Editor, Sociological Bulletin, official organ of the Indian Sociological Society, 1975-8, 1989–1991, 1998–1999.
* President, Indian Sociological Society, 1998–99.
* Member, board of directors, International Institute of Sociology
The International Institute of Sociology (IIS) is a scholarly organization which seeks to stimulate and facilitate the development, exchange, and application of scientific knowledge to questions of sociological relevance. Membership is open to all ...
, Rome, 2001–2005.
* Council Member, International Association for the Scientific Study of Religion, 1989–91 and 1993–95.
* Vice-Chair, Church and Society, World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most juri ...
, Geneva, 1984–89.
* Member, Indian National Commission for UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
, 1993–97.
He was also U.G.C. National Lecturer in Sociology, 1985–86, visiting professor, Dept. of Sociology, University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
(Berkeley), USA., Fall, 1990, visiting professor, Maison des Sciences de L'homme, Paris, June–July 1992, visiting professor, Wissenshaftszentrum, Berlin, May–July 1993 and June 1994, visiting fellow, Research School of Social Science, Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
, Canberra, December 1993 and senior visiting fellow, Institute of Advanced Studies, Budapest, October 1994 – July 1995.
Awards and recognitions
Oommen received many awards for his services to the social milieu.
* V. K. R. V. Rao Prize in Sociology for 1981 by the Indian Council of Social Science ResearchVKRV Rao Prize
/ref>
* G. S. Ghurye Award for 1985 by Bombay University
The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai.
The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...
, Mumbai
* Swami Pranavananda
Swami Pranavananda ( bn, স্বামী প্রণবানন্দ; sa, स्वामी प्रणवानन्द, IAST: Svāmī Praṇavānanda) also known as Yugācāryya Śrīmat Svāmī Praṇavānanda Jī Mahārāja (Benga ...
Award in Sociology, 1997 by University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India.
* Fellow, the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences
Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) is an institute for advanced study in Uppsala, Sweden. It is one of the ten member institutions of the Some Institutes for Advanced Study
The Some Institutes for Advanced Study (SIAS) consortium organi ...
, Uppsala, Sweden January–June 1998.
* Philipose Mar Chrysostom Navathy Award for Excellence, 2007.
* Padma Bhushan by the President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
in 2008
Books and publications
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References
External links
Full text of the interview with T. K. Oommen
Profile on Pearson
on Amazon
Reference
on Catholic Bishops Conference of India
on WorldCat
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oommen, T. K.
1937 births
Living people
Indian political writers
Writers from Kerala
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education
People from Alappuzha district
Indian sociologists
Scientists from Kerala
Indian social sciences writers
20th-century Indian educational theorists
20th-century Indian non-fiction writers
Presidents of the International Sociological Association