India's pioneering anthropologist who challenged Nazi race theories

Irawati Karve lived a life that stood out from those around her.

Karve was born in British-ruled India, and at a time when women did not have many rights and freedoms, she did the unthinkable: she pursued graduate studies in a foreign country, becoming a university professor and India's first female anthropologist.

She also married a man of her choice, swam in a bathing suit, rode a motorcycle, and even dared to challenge the racist hypothesis of her doctoral supervisor—a famous German anthropologist named Eugen Fischer.

Her writings on Indian culture, civilization and caste system are considered pioneering and are part of the curriculum in Indian colleges. However, she remains a mysterious figure in history and much about her life is still unknown.

A new book titled Iru: The Remarkable Life of Irawati Karve, written by her granddaughter Urmila Deshpande and academic Thiago Pinto Barbosa, highlights her remarkable life, and the many difficulties she faced to forge an inspiring path for women and men. Who came after her.

Irawati was born in 1905 in Burma (now Myanmar), and was named after the Irrawaddy River. The only girl among six siblings, she was loved by her family and grew up in comfort.

But the little girl's life took unexpected turns, leading to experiences that would shape her character. Apart from strong women, Hayat Irawati also met compassionate progressive men who paved the way for her to break barriers and cheered her on while doing so.

At the age of seven, Irawati was sent to a boarding school in Pune, a rare opportunity from her father when most girls were pushed into marriage. In Pune, she met RP Paranjpye, a prominent educationist whose family informally adopted Irawati and raised her as their own.

In Paranjpe's household, Irawati was exposed to a lifestyle that celebrated critical thinking and righteous living, even if it meant going against the grain of Indian society. Paranjpe, whom Irawati fondly called “Appa” or “her second father,” was a man far ahead of his time.

He was a university administrator and a strong supporter of women's education, and was also an atheist. Through him, Irawati discovered the wonderful world of social sciences and its impact on society.

When Irawati decided to pursue a doctorate in anthropology in Berlin, despite the objections of her biological father, she found support in Paranjpe and her husband Dinkar Karve, a science professor.

She arrived in the German city in 1927, after a days' voyage by ship, and began pursuing her studies under Fischer, a famous professor of anthropology and eugenics.

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

In the book, the authors describe the fear, shock and disgust Irawati felt when she saw the man's body lying on the sidewalk outside her building, blood bleeding through the concrete.

Irawati wrestled with these feelings while working on Fisher's thesis: proving that white Europeans were more logical and reasonable – and thus racially superior – to non-white Europeans. This included carefully studying and measuring 149 human skulls.

Fisher hypothesized that white Europeans had asymmetrical skulls to accommodate the larger right frontal lobes, which were supposedly a sign of higher intelligence. However, Irawati's research found no relationship between race and cranial asymmetry.

“It contradicted, of course, Fisher's hypothesis, but also with the theories of that institute and the prevailing theories of the time,” the authors write in the book.

She presented her findings boldly, risking the wrath of her teacher and her testimony. Fisher gave her the lowest score, but her research critically and scientifically rejected the use of human differences to justify discrimination. (Later, the Nazis used Fischer's theories of racial superiority to further their agenda and Fischer joined the Nazi Party.)

Throughout her life, Irawati displayed this streak of intelligence mixed with endless compassion, especially with the women she met.

At a time when it was not possible for a woman to travel far from home, Irawati went on field trips to remote villages in India after returning to the country, sometimes with her male colleagues, sometimes with her students and even her children. To study the lives of different tribes.

She joins archaeological expeditions to recover 15,000-year-old bones, bridging the gap between the past and the present. These arduous journeys took her deep into forests and rugged terrain for weeks or months, with the book describing her sleeping in barns or truck beds, often spending days with little food.

Irawati also courageously confronted societal and personal biases while interacting with people from all walks of life.

The authors describe how Irawati, a Chitpavan Brahmin from a traditional upper-caste vegetarian Hindu community, bravely ate partially raw meat offered by a tribal leader she wished to study. She recognized this as a gesture of friendship and a test of loyalty, and responded with openness and curiosity.

Her studies fostered a deep empathy for humanity, which later led her to criticize inter-religious fundamentalism, including Hinduism. She believed that India belonged to everyone who called it home.

The book recounts the moment when Irawati's mind, contemplating the atrocities committed by the Nazis against the Jews, came to a startling realization that would change her view of humanity forever.

“In these meditations, Irawati learns the most difficult lessons of Hindu philosophy: It's all about you too,” the authors write.

Irawati died in 1970, but her legacy lives on through her work and the people she continues to inspire.