Mumbai University's 107-Year Sociology Legacy Goes Digital With Global Platform

Mumbai: The University of Mumbai’s 107-year-old legacy in sociology is set to receive a global digital platform, with a pilot project by Sociology Department Head Prof. Manisha Rao selected under the British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme (EAP), in collaboration with Arcadia.

The project, titled “Survey and Digitisation of the Legacy of the Discipline of Sociology in India: Records of the University of Mumbai”, will survey, catalogue and digitise historical academic material, teaching resources, institutional records and documents related to the establishment of the university’s Sociology Department.

The 12-month project began in July 2026 and aims to preserve records dating back to the department’s establishment in 1919.

Preserving sociology archives

The Sociology Department at the University of Mumbai has played a significant role in the development of sociology in India. Established in 1919, it is the country’s first postgraduate department dedicated to teaching sociology.

Scottish urban planner, sociologist and thinker Sir Patrick Geddes served as its first university professor and head of department.

The digitisation initiative is expected to provide researchers with access to valuable primary sources documenting the emergence and institutional development of sociology in India.

The records could help scholars trace changes in sociological thought, teaching methods, academic traditions and institutional practices over the decades.

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Global access to records

Once digitised, the archival material will be made accessible beyond the University of Mumbai, potentially enabling researchers at local, regional, national and international levels to study the collection.

The project is expected to contribute not only to the preservation of the university’s academic heritage but also to placing the history and evolution of sociology in India within the broader global research landscape.

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