Stephen Fuchs

Stephen Fuchs, who was well known among anthropologists and sociologists of India and abroad, died on January 17, 2000. Fuchs devoted more than 60 years of his life studying the culture and society of the many subaltern communities in India. Highlighting his contributions, two Festschrifts have been brought out by S M Michael at different occasions. Stephen Fuchs was a priest-scholar belonging to the Society of the Divine World. This society is well known for its anthropological contributions in the intellectual world.

Stephen Fuchs was born on April 30, 1908, in Austria in a place called Bruck an der Mur River. In 1927, at the age of 19, he joined the Society of the Divine Word. He studied from 1930 to 1934 at the theological seminary St Gabriel at Moedling (Austria). Here he came in contact with the famous anthropological scholar, the founder of the cultural historical school of anthropology, Wilhelm Schmidt (SVD) who was teaching anthropology and linguistics. Stephen Fuchs was very much influenced and inspired by Schmidt.