His initial exposure to India came during World War II when he worked as a signals analyst. This experience sparked his interest in the country's unique social structures.
Despite training as an Indologist, Marriott felt existing Western academic disciplines were inadequate for capturing the essence of Indian culture.[1]
Marriott has studied villagers and urbanites of Asia and professionals of Asia, including Japan. He criticized Western categories which often present obstacles to understanding peoples, and he elaborated alternative models for studying differing cultural realities.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Marriott's work influenced generations of anthropologists, including his students who went on to become prominent scholars themselves.
He was celebrated for his dedication to cultural sensitivity and his ability to bridge the gap between Western and Indian perspectives.
A felicitation ceremony at the University of Chicago Smart Museum marked his 90th birthday, where colleagues and former students acknowledged his lasting influence.[8]
Review: India as a Philosophical Problem: Mckim Marriott and the Comparative Enterprise: India through Hindu Categories by McKim Marriott Review by: Edwin Gerow Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol. 120, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 2000), pp. 410–429
^Moffatt, Michael (1990). "Deconstructing Mc Kim Marriott's Ethnosociology: An Outcaste's Critique". Contributions to Indian Sociology. 24 (2): 215–236. doi:10.1177/006996690024002005. S2CID146425676.
^Gerow, Edwin (6 October 2017). Marriott, McKim (ed.). "India as a Philosophical Problem: Mckim Marriott and the Comparative Enterprise". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 120 (3): 410–429. doi:10.2307/606012. JSTOR606012.
