A one-day workshop exploring sociology of inheritance was held at IIT Kanpur

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with the Max Weber Forum for South Asian Studies, New Delhi, organised a one-day workshop titled “Inheritance, Economy and Law: A Sociological Inquiry” on 12 August 2025.

The workshop was curated by Prof. Anindita Chakrabarti and Dr. Poorva Rajaram.  The workshop brought together sociologists, anthropologists and historians. Drawing on empirical and archival research from across India, the participants discussed social and legal norms regulating intergenerational wealth transfers, historical ideas shaping inheritance practices, and the socio-economic role of legal arrangements such as trusts and entails.

Questions of familial care, the role of the state, old age and gender rights in contemporary inheritance practices in India were also addressed.