Early Life & Academic Background

José Carlos Gomes da Silva is a distinguished Portuguese anthropologist who has made significant contributions to the study of symbolic anthropology, caste systems, and Indian ethnography. He earned his doctorate in Philosophy and Letters from the Université Libre de Bruxelles under the supervision of Luc de Heusch.

He has held academic positions at leading Portuguese institutions, including the ISCTE-IUL (Lisbon University Institute), the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCSH), and the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical.

Research Focus & Contributions

Gomes da Silva’s research centers on symbolic systems, social classification, and the anthropology of identity. Since 1979, he has conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Odisha, India, focusing on ritual, myth, and social structure.

His major publications explore the intersections of religion, society, and symbolic order in both Indian and comparative contexts. Some of his notable works include:

L’Identité Volée: Essais d’Anthropologie Sociale (1989)

A Identidade Roubada: Ensaios de Antropologia Social

The Cult of Jagannatha: Myths and Rituals (2010)

Krsna-Jagannatha in the Western Mind (2019)

The Invention of Caste Hierarchy — Theory in Historical Perspective (2024)

Later Career & Legacy

After retiring from teaching in the mid-2000s, Gomes da Silva continued his research on Indian society and the theoretical foundations of anthropology.

He is widely regarded as one of Portugal’s foremost contemporary anthropologists, known for bridging Western theoretical perspectives with deep ethnographic insight into Indian culture and religion. His work remains an important reference in the global study of caste, symbolism, and identity.