André Béteille was a figure whose influence could be felt beyond his own discipline and over the entire body of the social sciences. His concern and interventions for policies of social justice and institutional well-being established him as a staunch progressive liberal who shunned the traps of utopianism.

André Béteille passed away quietly on 3 February 2026. His life was an unusual one from the very start. He was born in Chandannagar, a French colony on the banks of the river Hooghly, about 50 kilometres from Kolkata, to a Bengali mother and a French father. This explains his name and also his natural gift of being an outsider who was at home inside. He was a quintessential Bengali and yet a person who carried certain European sensibilities, which never stood out, but subtly informed many of his theoretical positions, particularly his ability to contextualise the particular with the general.

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