Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Sanskritisation is a major concept in Indian sociology used to explain the process of social mobility and cultural change within the caste system.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The term was introduced by M. N. Srinivas in his study of the Coorgs in South India.
He defined it as a process by which a "low" Hindu caste, or tribal or other group, changes its customs, ritual, ideology, and way of life in the direction of a high, and frequently, "twice-born" caste.
It involves adopting the practices of dominant or higher castes (like vegetarianism or teetotalism) to claim a higher status in the local hierarchy.
Srinivas argued that this results in a "positional" change for the group within the system, but does not lead to a "structural" change of the system itself.
Step 3: Final Answer:
M. N. Srinivas is the sociologist who coined this term.