European Journal of Human Genetics
Publication Type: Journal Article
Author: Ramakrishnan Sitaraman
Abstract:
I thank van Driem et al. for their detailed response [1] to my letter [2]. I fully agree that, in their original paper [3], they have cited the current consensus in terms
of the chronology of the appearance of Indo-European (IE)/Indic languages within the Indian subcontinent.
However, even though a model of linguistic dispersal may have evolved through consensus within a research community, adjustments may be necessitated in the light of new findings.
In extreme cases, the old model may even have to be discarded, or its scope restricted within set limits as an outcome of fresh research. Readers of this journal would be familiar with the adjustments made to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection since its first publication in 1859, at which time there was no knowledge of the actual carriers or mechanisms of inheritance (genetics). A similar evolution occurred in Vedic studies/Indology as well, wherein early binary racial models (‘white invaders versus dark aborigines’) have been progressively discarded in favor of more granular and nuanced models of migration, acculturation, and elite dominance grounded in diverse historical contexts and new types of data (e.g., archaeogenetics). This is the normal process by which science works.
