Prof. Shruti Tambe Head, Department of Sociology, Center for Advanced Studies, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune Director, Euroculture, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune

The Department believes in providing leadership in defining the curriculum of Sociology in undergraduate colleges in Pune University and therefore has utilised the UGC's University Leadership Programme (1978-83) to hold orientation programmes, deliver model lectures and prepare reading materials for this purpose. Individually the senior faculty has been members of Board of Studies and other educational institutions in Maharashtra and in India helping to define the concerns of Sociology and its teaching in the country. They have also been involved as editors and contributory editors in national and international journals. For some years the Department held the office of the Indian Sociological Society when Damle was the President and Dhanagare was its Secretary.

Over the years the Department has evolved to define sociology in different ways keeping in tune with the regional, national and international developments. The Department believes in providing leadership in defining the curriculum of Sociology in undergraduate colleges in Pune and therefore has utilized the UGC's University Leadership Programmes (1978-83) to hold orientation programmes, deliver model lectures and prepare reading materials for this purpose.

In 1982 the UGC granted a Canadian Studies Programme to the Department under the leadership of U. B. Bhoite. Initially its activities were restricted to organizing seminars of visiting Canadianists and teaching of M.Phil optional course on Canadian society. In 1991-92 the programme began to get funded by Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, New Delhi. The programme has published an edited book and also held conferences and networked with the Indian Association of Canadian Studies.

In July 1986 Women's Studies Centre was sanctioned by the UGC to the Department. From its inception the WSC has focussed on gender issues in Western India, locating them within the political economy and social history of the region and understanding the complex relationship between class, caste, communities and gender. The WSC believes that research, teaching and extension work need interactions between academics and social activists. WSC led by A. Ramanamma, Anuradha Bhoite, Vidyut Bhagwat and Sharmila Rege among others, has initiated independent research projects such as 'Changing Nature of Women's Work Inside and Outside the Household', 'Women and Work in Minority Communities in Maharashtra' and has also participated in all-India projects like 'National Girl Child Project'. Since 1998-1999 WSC has become functionally autonomous.

From the academic year 1996-1997 S.M.Dahiwale and Sujata Patel joined the Department as Professors. S. M. Dahiwale has introduced studies on dalits and backward communities with non-brahmanic perspective in the academic programme of the Department, while Sujata Patel has promoted historical sociology and comparative studies in research and teaching of Indian sociology. With the joining of Sharmila Rege in 2005 areas of gender, non-brahmanical and dalit cultural studies would be strengthened.