In Memoriam: Chancellor Andre Beteille

The Edict joins the Ashoka University community in mourning the passing of Professor Andre Beteille, the institution’s first Chancellor.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential sociologists of his time, Professor Beteille’s academic stature was such that it is often said he would have been the first recipient of a Nobel Prize for Sociology, had one existed. Over the course of his career, he held visiting professorships at leading institutions worldwide, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Chicago. In India, his most famous appointment was as a Professor of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics. 

Professor Beteille’s scholarship spanned critical studies of caste and the Indian middle class, alongside foundational contributions to sociological methods and theory. His work was distinguished by its rigorous grounding in empirical research. His many honours included India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, as well as election as a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).

At Ashoka University, Professor Beteille was closely associated with the institution from its inception and helped establish its Academic Council. He also taught in the university’s flagship Young India Fellowship (YIF) programme during its formative years. As Chancellor, he guided the university with the care and discernment required of a young academic institution. His reputation and intellectual authority were instrumental in shaping Ashoka’s early academic community and attracting distinguished faculty.

As tributes pour in from across the world, Professor Beteille is remembered as an academic, teacher, colleague, and above all, a friend.

Rest in peace, Professor.